Hollywood Love Story
by NaleyWriter23
Summary: AU: What happens when Hollywood play-boy, Nathan Scott, is forced to star in a movie alongside America's Sweetheart, Haley James, when all they feel towards one another is pure hatred?
1. Chapter 1

**I'm crazy for starting another new story but this idea has been in my mind for almost two years and I'm tired of waiting to write it, so I did it anyway. I know I have two other stories that I'm still working on, but I didn't want to keep ignoring this in case I never get the chance to write it or completely forget about it. **

**I have the whole story planned out, and it should be on the shorter side, meaning that there will probably be less than 15 chapters. **

**This story is a bit different than my usual fics, but I'm excited to write it. **

**Thanks for checking it out, and I'd love to know what you think. If you love it, then I'll continue, but if not, then I'll just finish my other stories and scrap this idea, but I'm hoping you'll like it! **

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><p>"Haley James?" An abnormally tall, blonde haired, busty bimbo called out. "Mr. Swan is ready for you."<p>

Haley looked up from her iPhone and was met with a disgustingly white smile which belonged to the human Barbie herself.

"Thank you." Haley nodded with appreciation as she hastily stood up from the leather chair, almost tripping in the process. She could hear 'Barbie' snicker from behind her, but chose to ignore it. She wouldn't dare risk her chances of landing her dream job by engaging in a petty cat fight. Instead, Haley held her head high and confidently strolled into Mike Swan's office with a boisterous smile.

"Hello Mr. Swan." Haley greeted.

"Miss. James! Please, have a seat. I'm eager to work with you." A friendly man with a fit of unruly black curls atop his head, smiled warmly at the renowned actress infront of him.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Haley beamed, sticking out her perfectly manicured hand for a polite handshake with the famous director.

"Likewise." Mike grinned enthusiastically. "So, let's get straight to business, shall we?"

"Sounds good." Haley nodded, shifting slightly in the leather chair across from Mike's chocolate colored desk, as she desperately tried to hide her over anxious nerves.

Mike shuffled several papers around the table until he found the one he needed, holding it up and quickly read it over. "So, I watched your audition tape and I think you'd be perfect for the part-"

Haley's brown orbs lit with a bright sparkle. "Really?"

"Yes. You fit the exact image I had conjured for the character, 'Beth', and your acting skills are truly impeccable." He complimented as he swiveled in his office chair.

Haley blew out a deep breath in disbelief. Slowly, the corners of her lips turned upwards forming a magnificent smile. "Wow, thank you."

Mike mirrored her smile, as he clasped his hands over his slightly rounded beer belly and cleared his throat. "Now, I am ninety-nine percent sure you're going to be officially casted as Beth, but I just need to run a chemistry screening with an actor who I felt portrayed the best Jimmy in his audition tape…" Mike explained, glancing down at his gold watch to check the time. "He should actually be coming any minute. If you don't mind I'd like to run a few lines with you two in order to see if you have good chemistry together, and if not, I'll move to the next guy on this list, but I'm pretty confident this will be the guy."

Haley nodded, "Sure, that sounds great."

"Okay, perfect!" Mike clapped his hands together, quickly standing from his chair and gathered various papers into a folder. "I'll be right back, but feel free to make yourself at home, and if you want to practice reading your lines, I have a script on the back table." He directed with a friendly smile, then walked out of his office leaving Haley seated alone with an excited expression upon her face.

She silently wondered who she would be working with on this film. Through the years she had the pleasure of working with astonishing actors varying from Channing Tatum, Ryan Gosling, and Orlando Bloom. Being America's Sweetheart, and an A-list actor definitely had its perks from time to time. Some would argue that Haley was one of the greatest actresses in the entertainment industry, which landed her several Oscar awards as well as roles in major motion pictures. Many fellow actresses were typical A-list snobs who treated money as an absolute figure in this world, and more than half of them were pretty much made up of silicone and plastic; but not Haley. Haley James was the good girl. Always keeps her nose clean, and away from the obnoxious drama of Hollywood. She's classy, simple, and a role model to girls and women everywhere.

Of course there were two sides of every story, and the same rich, fake, 'Plastics' of the world would argue that Haley was 'plain and grungy' or a 'suck-up'. Normally Haley would sweep those insults under her rug, ignoring the hate, but in reality, those words hurt. She tries to put on a brave face in front of the camera's but at the end of the day, she's just like everyone else: human.

Looking around the room, Haley's eyes fell upon the various plaques and awards surrounding Mike Swan's office. Being obviously in the entertainment business, Haley has heard his name a great deal of times, and it had been on her wish-list to act for one of his films. Mike's movies have won several awards over the years, and he himself was quite a popular producer. When Haley had heard that he was in the works of creating a new movie, she had instantly called her agent and requested a script. She spent almost an entire week in her Beverly Hills home locked in her room studying her lines until they were perfectly memorized. She had become enthralled with the plot, as well as the character she had planned on trying out for, and so she booked an audition a few weeks ago, and prayed she landed the gig.

Only being 25, Haley had worked on several genres of movies, but her favorite was always romantic tragedies. She liked to consider herself a hopeless romantic, and her strongest skills in acting were always angst as well as romance. Mike Swan was basically the Nicholas Sparks of the movie industry, considering almost every one of his movies always involved a modern-day tragic love story with a unique twist.

Reading the manuscript for the first time, Haley remembered tears trickling down her pink cheeks, clearly picturing the story in her mind. The romance between her character and the romantic interest was unbelievably raw, but perfectly beautiful- the kind of romance any girl could ever dream of. She had a strong feeling this would be one of her favorite characters to play, considering she found so many similarities between her and the character 'Beth'.

Beth Camara was written as the small town waitress who was struggling to make ends meet in order to provide for her and her three year old daughter Emma as she desperately tries to escape from her past; an abusive boyfriend who left her after finding out she was pregnant at only age 20. She's portrayed as a strong female lead who puts on a brave face to the world, acting as if she doesn't care what anyone thinks when inwardly she is struggling with her overbearing emotions; something Haley secretly relates to.

Then there is 'Jimmy Loffer' the sweet, caring, and charming Children's Attorney who was born into generations of money. Like any typical chick-flick, Jimmy quickly falls for Beth, who is afraid of becoming vulnerable again. After much convincing, and moving past her blatant denial, Beth admits that she too, has more than friendly feelings toward Jimmy, finally agreeing to going out with him.

Haley's thoughts began to slow, as another question rekindled into her mind. She glanced at her iPhone in order to check the time and sighed. She desperately wondered who would be playing Jimmy, and prayed he wasn't another stuck-up starlet. After all, she would be kissing him for almost six months, and to lessen the awkwardness of the situation, she prayed they would have a professional relationship. There was nothing Haley hated more than working with perverted, egotistical jerks on a movie where they'd have to play love interests. It was so much easier when she actually got along with her co-stars.

Letting out another impatient sight, Haley tapped her foot nervously against the hardwood floor, wondering where everyone was. Time seemed to stand still, until finally, she could hear to be what sounded like Mike's strong Chicago accent muffled behind the closed door, shouting at something, or rather _someone._

Less than a minute later, he stormed back into his office, dragging a hand over his exhausted face which was enhanced by the fine lines sketched over the tough skin.

"I'm sorry for the wait. The actor I'm expecting is running late. Figures." He mumbled frustratedly, inhaling a deep gust of air in order to calm his frayed nerves.

Haley gave a sympathetic smile, "That's okay."

Mike leaned his palms against his desk, exhaling a hard breath as he squeezed his eyes tightly together. "He's already a half an hour late. I don't have time to sit around and wait for him… but for some reason my instincts are telling me that you two are going to have great chemistry together, and that's the only thing saving his ass right now-" He rambled partially to himself as Haley nervously shuffled in her seat, still not knowing who he even was talking about.

"Don't get your grannie panties in a twist, Swan. I'm here." The six-foot two, raven haired, blue eyed actor casually strolled into the office with his hands thrown in his pockets, a cocky smirk plastered on his strongly set face, making Haley's stomach twist in a disgusted knot, desperately wanting to roll her eyes.

"It's about damn time, Scott." Mike grumbled, falling back into his leather chair, rubbing his temples faintly. "We have a lot of work to do, so take a seat and grab a script."

Nathan fell back into the seat next to Haley, his smirk only widening when he took in the appearance of her, praying her blush wasn't evident upon her cheeks.

"You're the chick I'll be making out with for six months?" His gaze swept over her body appreciatively. "Nice! You're pretty hot-" He smirked cockily.

Haley's brown eyes widened in shock, suddenly feeling extremely objectified. Who did this guy think he was?

"Excuse me?" Haley fired back, crossing her arms protectively over her chest.

Nathan's eyes lingered on her cleavage, his smirk only growing. "I mean, I've been with hotter girls, but you'll do just fine-"

Haley outwardly scoffed in disgust. "You've got to be kidding me!" Her hands were thrown up into the air as she swiftly turned toward Mike who was clearly just as annoyed as she was.

Mike let out another sigh and turned closer to the actors. "Nathan, meet Haley James, Haley meet Na-"

"I'm sure she already knows who I am." Nathan grinned, propping his feet up onto Mike's desk.

Haley let out an annoyed breath. "Of course I've heard about you. You're the man-whore of America." She mocked in a high-voice.

Nathan nodded proudly, "And you're Little Miss Perfect, am I right?"

Haley rolled her eyes, ignoring the way her heart ached from the harshness of his words.

"Low blow, sweetheart?" Nathan mocked.

Haley's eyes peeled at him, "God, you're such a...a… jerk!"

Nathan chuckled loudly, "Cute."

Mike pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "Please, will you two quit acting like children and be professional? I mean, do you want these roles or not?"

"Yes." Nathan and Haley answered at the same time, this time in the most serious tone they could muster.

"Then please cut the sexual tension and use it towards acting, okay? I really think you're both perfect for these parts and if you don't get along then we're going to have serious problems-"

Mike lectured lightly, his eyes glaring at Nathan condescendingly.

"Okay, fine, I'm sorry." Haley straightened her posture as she sincerely apologized, only this time earning an eyeroll from Nathan.

"Yeah, sorry." Nathan mumbled meekly in response.

Mike clapped his palms together and gave a satisfied smile. "Fabulous, now let's get straight to it. Nathan, I need you to take your shirt off, and Haley you too-"

"What?" Haley screeched, "Why? I wasn't aware of this-"

"Because you'll be almost naked on screen, and in order to relieve any awkward tension I always have actors open up to each other right away-"

Haley blushed, "I think I'll wait until the actual scene."

Nathan smirked at the thought, "That's too bad." He feigned sadness as he whipped his grey t-shirt above his head exposing his chiseled abs with a cocky smile.

Haley's eyes enlarged at the sight, and even she had to admit that it was incredibly sexy. She could feel her drool salivating at the end of her tongue, but quickly dismissed those tantalizing thoughts when she remembered how much of a jerk he was.

"Like what you see?" Nathan smirked, his blue eyes sparkling in the light.

Haley laughed sarcastically, "I've seen better." She could have sworn a look of hurt flashed through his piercing blue eyes, but once again dismissed the unlikely thought.

"Okay Nathan, you can put the shirt back on. We'll save the nudity for a later date, right now let's just run the lines from the top of page thirteen. I want to get a feel for how you act together…" Mike directed as both Nathan and Haley stood up with scripts in their hands, preparing themselves for the scene.

Haley mentally got into character, closing her eyes and becoming 'Beth Camara'.

"Before we begin, do you guys have any questions?" Mike questioned before taking a long swig of his coffee.

"Actually, yes." Haley answered. "Do you know who will be playing as Emma?"

Mike stroked his chin gently, "Not yet. It's hard to find cute three year olds who actually know how to act… I have a few ideas though. The relationship between Jimmy and Emma is just as important as with Jimmy and Beth, so Nathan, how good are you with kids?"

Nathan almost began choking on air, "I'm not really… I mean kids don't really … I don't have much experience with them, but for the sake of the movie, I'll try to act as best as I can-"

"Okay great." Mike gave a pleased smile. "Once I finish the screening between you and Haley, I'll call in a few kids I think will play a good Emma, and see how you two work with them. Like I said, the on-screen relationships need to look effortless and palpable. Audience's go crazy over cute relationships, and that all starts with good chemistry-"

"Wait, I have a question-" Nathan began.

"Yes?" Mike sighed.

"Will we be french kissing at all?" Nathan smirked.

Mike knit his eyebrows together, "Well I guess it would work better for the steamy scenes, but it's up to you and Haley-"

"I'd prefer not to." Haley spoke up. "It wouldn't be fair to my boyfriend-"

Nathan rolled his eyes, "It's not like you'd be cheating on him-"

"Well unlike you, I actually value love and long term relationships-" Haley spat.

"You don't know anything about me." Nathan snarled, crossing his arms over his chest defiantly.

"And you know nothing about me." Haley protested.

Mike sucked down a harsh breath, slamming his fists against his desk. "Here's a thought…" He suggested with a tight smile, "Why don't you actually get to know each other, and stop acting like children?"

Nathan rolled his eyes, "I don't need to get to know her. I'm an actor, and I'll pretend to like her until this movie is over."

If it wasn't for Nathan's manager and best friend, Clay Evans, he probably wouldn't even be here right now. Romantic movies was not Nathan's forte. He'd much rather portray James Bond in a voluptuous action movie, than some charming lowlife loser who give girls false hope that there are actually guys like that in the world. Nathan was nothing like the character in this movie, and couldn't care less about love. He was more of a no strings attached, love 'em and leave 'em, kind of guy.

In fact, Nathan had no desire to be in this film, but it was basically forced upon him. Clay complained that Nathan needed to get out of the bad tabloids for a while, considering lately he had been on every sleazy magazine cover pictured drunk, and leaving with a random bimbo draped on his arm. So, in order to gain positive press, Clay had suggested that Nathan try out for a movie alongside, none-other-than America's Sweetheart herself, Haley freaking James.

Of course Nathan heard of her before. She was America's Sweetheart, after all.

She was prim-and-proper. Little Miss Perfect. Classy and flawless. Beautiful, and so out of his league, but of course, she presented herself as if she was above everyone, and Nathan couldn't stand that. He hated girls who were 'goody-goodies', who thought they were better than everyone, and who had absolutely nothing wrong with them. It irked Nathan more than anything, especially how Haley doesn't give into his bullshit.

He thought for sure she'd fall for his charming smirk, or even act like a crazy fan girl, like most people do when they see him. But no, like always, she had to act as if she was better than him, and frown upon his attitude. He was completely thrown off guard by her feisty comebacks, for no girl had ever spoken to him like that... but in some weird way, Nathan liked the challenge. It was refreshing, and totally hot.

The thought of corrupting America's Sweetheart was utterly delicious.

"Let's just get started, okay?" Haley suggested with a tired sigh. She was tired of arguing, and wouldn't let Nathan Scott destroy her chances of landing her dream movie role.

Nathan nodded, preparing himself for character as he flipped to the page in the script.

"Okay, take it from the top. Action." Mike called loudly as Haley stepped closer to Nathan, ready to begin the scene.

Nathan took a deep breath, placing a gentle hand on Haley's waist as directed in the script and smiled charmingly.

"You're the best thing that ever happened to me, Beth Camara."

Haley forced a blush on her cheeks and smiled giddily as directed in the script. "And you're the best thing that's ever happened to me, and Emma."

Nathan chuckled softly, "Oh yeah, I may like her better than you."

Haley playfully punched him in the arm and giggled, "You better not."

"Hmm, no you're right. That would be kind of creepy." Nathan read with a playful grin.

Haley threw her inhabitants into the wind, as she ignored the tension between her and Nathan, and decided to ram up the chemistry between their characters. She smiled warmly at him, throwing her arms around his lower midsection and rested her head upon his shoulder.

"You're so tall." She mused out loud before she could even stop herself… that part was not written in the script.

Nathan looked down, slightly confused as if he missed something.

Mike laughed from his spot, clearly enthralled by the chemistry between the actors. "That wasn't in the script, but I may have to add it." He grinned. "Keep going."

Haley cleared her throat, as Nathan began to shake slightly.

"What's wrong, Jimmy?"

Nathan gulped, it was in the script, but this time, he actually needed to swallow back the nervous lump residing in his throat. He didn't understand what was happening. He never got nervous during scenes. Especially those that involved women; and now all of a sudden, Haley threw her arms around him and a strange sensation wielded through his veins. Never having felt like this before, Nathan decided to act as if it was completely natural, only adding to their palpable chemistry. That's all it was, he told himself. Acting.

"N-nothing." He stuttered.

Haley's brown eyes bore closer into Nathan's light blue ones, and for the first time she could clearly make out the brightness of those beautiful oceanic orbs.

"Talk to me." She urged, ignoring the awkwardness of touching a stranger and running her palm over his stubbled cheek. Like any scene she had ever acted in similar to this, she simply imagined herself with her boyfriend, Wyatt Lancaster, a wealthy socialite and prestigious business man, who she has been dating for over a year and a half.

"I just… I need to tell you something that I've never told anyone before, and I don't know how to say it..." Nathan read with a scratchy throat.

Haley simply smiled, urging him to continue, pretending to be confused, even though she knew exactly what his character was about to say.

Nathan grabbed Haley's petite hand, and inhaled a reassuring breath. "I love you, Beth."

Before Haley was able to continue reading the script, Mike abruptly jumped up and began to clap loudly.

"That was marvelous. Seriously, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you're lovers." He joked with a cheshire grin.

Haley almost laughed out loud, "Yeah, right."

"It normally takes a while for actors to develop the kind of chemistry you two just possessed during that short scene." Mike said seriously. "I'm blown away by this."

"The script is just beautifully written." Haley credited.

"Kiss ass." Nathan mumbled under his breath, pretending to cover it up with an obnoxious cough.

Haley turned towards him, her eyes narrowed into thin slits, "What was that?"

"Nothing." Nathan grumbled, causing Haley to feistily roll her eyes.

Mike shook his head with dismay. "I don't get it. You hate eachother, but have better chemistry than most real-life couples… how is that even possible?"

"Sexual tension." Nathan smirked, earning yet another eye-roll from Haley.

"No, like I said, we're just good actors who utilize your romantic script. I don't like Nathan, but I love this story and I don't care who plays Jimmy, I will act better than I ever have. I love playing Beth, and I won't let anything get in the way of that." Haley swore.

"You're determined. I like that." Mike stated. "But it's not only your determination that makes you perfect for this part. It's the two of you together. I guarantee that anyone else who plays Jimmy won't have half as much chemistry as you and Nathan do. If it's really a problem, I can bring in new actors, but let's face it, Nathan is the best Jimmy, and you're the best Beth. When I wrote this I had a picture in my head of how I wanted Beth and Jimmy to be like, and you two are exactly it. And for some reason, you have some of the best chemistry I've ever seen. I don't care how you feel personally about each other, just please all I ask for is when you play your characters, just forget your personal problems, and give your all. Can you do that for me, please?"

"Yes." Haley promised immediately.

"Yeah." Nathan said with a shrug. "I'm an actor, I can pretend anything."

"Great, because there's one more thing I need you to do-" Mike announced with a pleading smile.

"If you're going to tell us to pretend to be in a relationship, I can't do that because I already-"

"Have a boyfriend." Nathan finished Haley's sentence with an annoyed tone. "We know."

Mike chuckled, "You even finish each other's sentence's. That's cute, but no. I'm not going to ask you to be in a relationship for publicity, but I do need you to get along as much as possible. Especially at press events. I can't have my two stars hating each other." He desperately pleaded.

"So you want us to act like friends?" Haley clarified.

"Yeah, and who knows, maybe if you get to know each other, and stop hating each other for whatever reason, maybe you'll actually be friends, or I don't know, maybe even fall in love..."

"Yeah, right." Nathan scoffed. "Like that could ever happen-"

"For the first time, I actually agree with Nathan. I don't think we can be friends, but for the sake of the movie, I'll try my best to tolerate him." Haley spoke professionally.

"Whatever. I'm just in this for the money, and publicity." Nathan griped.

"Figures." Haley spat sardonically.

Mike blew out a long breath, "This is going to be a long six months…"

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><p><strong>So what do you think, should I continue?<strong>

**Thanks for reading! **

**I've also been working on two other one-shots which I hope will be up sometime this week, and for those of you who read "Give Your Heart a Break" I'm finally working on the next chapter for that, and I'll get "Story of Us" updated as soon as I can. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Whoa! I am blown away from the amount of positive feedback I got last chapter. Thank you all so much! I'm glad you like it so far, because I'm totally loving writing this. I think it may be my favorite so far. I have big plans for this story, so I hope you stay tuned :) **

**Thank you for the support! You're all amazing! xo**

**Enjoyyy**

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><p><strong>"<strong>**I hate him! Like, I actually, freaking hate him!" Haley fumed angrily into her cell phone as she paced impatiently around the desolate dock.**

Haley's lifelong friend, as well as famous Fashion Designer, Brooke Davis, laughed softly into the phone. "C'mon, Hales. He can't be that bad! And hey, at least he's hot-"

Haley let out a groan, "I don't care! He's so cocky, and such a pig!"

Brooke laughed again, "Wow, sounds like you two have a lot of sexual tension-" She pointed out.

"Don't even start, Brooke. I would never, ever, date that man whore-" Haley practically gagged at the thought.

"Sure." Brooke goaded raspily. "That's what you say now. But I guarantee if Wyatt wasn't in the picture, you'd be falling at Nathan's feet, just like the rest of the female population-"

This time Haley laughed, only lacking humor. "Not a chance in hell. I don't put up with Nathan's boyish bullshit. Wyatt is a real man-"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Brooke joked. "If you don't hook up with Nathan, then I sure will, because that boy is damn fine!"

"Ugh, you can have him!" Haley sighed, then checked her watch while emitting a long groan. "This is unbelieveable! He's almost twenty minutes late!"

"Maybe he stopped to get you flowers-" Brooke thought aloud.

Haley let out a loud scoff, "Yeah right!"

"I'm telling you Hales. You guys would make such a cute couple!" Brooke gushed at the thought.

Haley rolled her eyes, "I think you're forgetting about my boyfriend named Wyatt, who I love-"  
>Brooke whined loudly, "I know, I know. Just let a girl dream, okay?"<p>

Haley laughed, "Why the hell would you dream of Nathan and I together-?"

"Hollywood bad boy turns good for America's sweetheart…" Brooke squealed excitedly. "I can see it now! The cutest love story in history-"

Haley laughed again, "You're delusional, Davis!"

Brooke giggled softly, "I know, but wait, why are you meeting up with him again?"

"Because we have to practice our lines before the next screening. The director suggested we go to one of our houses but there's no way that's going to happen, so we decided to meet at a private dock-"

Brooke was about to speak before Haley cut her off. "Sorry, I have to go now. He's finally here-" She mumbled as Nathan's cocky form strutted towards her on the small dock.

"Have fun!" She cheered before hanging up, only eliciting another dreaded groan from Haley.

"Mornin' sunshine." Nathan smirked at Haley who had her arms crossed over her chest.

"You're late." She spat immediately, sliding her phone into her purse.

Nathan held up two to-go cups of coffee, shrugging softly, then took a seat at the small wooden table overlooking the still water. "Needed some caffeine. Seven am is way too early for me."

Haley rolled her eyes, standing across from his seated form. "Look, I take my career very seriously. I don't care if you had a late night with one of your tramps, but Mike suggested we meet up and since neither of us wanted to go to the other's house, the only place left are the docks. So unless you want to get caught by the paparazzi, the only time we have is now-"

Nathan rolled his eyes, "Alright, sheesh, sorry. Someone needs some coffee-" He mumbled as he held out the extra cup of caffeine.

"I don't drink coffee." She spoke quietly.

"Really?" Nathan seemed shocked at her revelation. "How do you live?"

Haley managed a small smile, "I actually sleep."

Nathan grinned, "Sleep's overrated."

Her smile disappeared as quickly as it formed. "You know what, let's just get started, okay?" She spoke harshly.

"For someone who actually sleeps, you're extremely bitchy." Nathan pointed out. "What's wrong, the boyfriend isn't good enough in bed?" He further instigated with a wicked grin.

Haley's eyes narrowed into horizontal slits. "That's not any of your business-"

Nathan's cocky smirk only grew in size, "But Mike said we're supposed to get to know each other."

Haley blew out an exasperated breath, finally taking a seat across from him at the wooden table. "And you learned I don't like coffee." She spoke tenaciously.

"And that your boyfriend, High-hat, or whatever the hell his name is, doesn't satisfy you in bed…" Nathan chuckled.

Haley slammed her hand down on the table, her face flushing with crimson. "I never said that!"

"Chill, I was just joking. Besides, I already know you're a virgin. You're the cover of innocence, right?" He smirked, crossing his arms over his head, leaning against them cockily.

Her jaw clenched tightly, and she was sure fire would have started spewing from her flared nostrils any second, "You don't know anything about me-" Haley argued loudly.

"Oh, but I do know you don't drink coffee, which, by the way, you never even thanked me for-" Nathan declared, with yet another smug smile. There was something about annoying Haley James that satisfied him to no end. He absolutely loved getting under her skin. He couldn't stop, for the reaction was utterly enticing.

Haley's eyes snapped together, as she blew out a deep breath in order to regain control of her emotions. "I appreciate the thought. Although, I can't help but wonder if there was a reason behind it. Let's face it, you're not actually a nice person-"

Nathan's smirk fell, only to be replaced with a scowl. "I don't understand you. I've never even done anything to you and you're acting like a bitch. I'm trying here, okay? This job means just as much to me as it does to you-"

"Believe me Nathan, you have given me plenty of reasons for me not to like you. I don't know who you think you are, but if we're going to be working together, you need to start respecting me-" She declared heatedly, flaring her arms above her head as Nathan simply watched with a large grin.

He couldn't help but think how hot she was when she was mad. It was official, annoying Haley James was now his favorite hobby. He could hear her shouting, but wasn't able to make out her words for he was too focused staring at her luscious lips…

"Are you even listening to me?!" Haley shouted when she noticed his eyes seemed to be zoned in on something.

Nathan remained silent, earning a frustrated groan from Haley. "You're unbelievable!" She spat.

"Huh?" Nathan questioned, finally snapping out of his Haley induced coma.

Haley's brown eyes gazed upwards in a circular motion. She was two seconds away from losing her patience and going home. Her time was just as valuable as anyone else's and she sure as hell wasn't going to waste it on dealing with Nathan Scott's childish games.

Letting out a deep breath of air, Haley pulled out her script and turned to a random page. "Can we start?" She questioned impatiently.

Nathan grinned again, "Only if you stop acting like a bitch-"

Haley's lips twisted in an angry scowl. "It's unbelievable how much I hate you-"

"Likewise, Princess." Nathan contested menacingly.

Haley's eyes rolled again. "And you wonder why I hate you-"

"I'm sure those feelings will change over time." Nathan revealed with yet another confident grin.

"Oh you mean only hate you more? You're probably right-"

Nathan chuckled as his lips slanted into a large sneer, "Or maybe you'll fall in love with me."

Haley almost began choking on air, "Don't hold your breath."

"What's your problem?" Nathan questioned bitterly.

"My problem is you." Haley protested. "I don't like you. So get that through that thick skull of yours. For once in your life, a girl doesn't like you, so get over it! You can work your whole, 'I'm Nathan Scott, just look at me smirk and your panties will drop' to someone else, because I don't care-"

Nathan chuckled dryly, "I couldn't care less what the hell you thought of me. I don't like you either, but I'm not giving you an attitude about it. I'll stop annoying you if you stop acting like a condescending bitch-"

Haley's eyes narrowed as she flicked her honey blonde hair over her shoulder in a swift sweep. "Fine." She muttered as her features softened.

"Great." Nathan nodded. "So where should we start?"

Haley continued to flip through the thick script until she found what she was looking for. "Page twenty three. The first date."

"Alright." Nathan spoke as he cracked his knuckles in anticipation.

Haley's eyes looked up quickly and saw that he was missing his script. "You forgot your script?" She accused, already growing annoyed.

Nathan's blue eyes squinted with irritation. "No, but I don't need it. I've already memorized it."

He watched as a glint of abashment crossed Haley's enormous brown eyes.

"Oh." She mumbled quietly, "Okay."

Nathan crossed his arms over his chest defiantly. "I know I have a bad reputation, but I really do take my job seriously." He shared earnestly, as his face became more stoic.

Haley gave him a soft smile, "I know, I'm sorry."

He cleared his throat when their gazes lingered on each other for longer than they probably should have, "It's fine."

"Okay, so I guess we can start at the part where they're having dinner. Are you ready?" Haley announced as she shifted slightly on the wooden bench.

"Yeah, whenever you are." Nathan breathed, preparing himself for character.

Haley looked down at her script as she memorized the first line, then fed it to Nathan, "It's absolutely beautiful out here."

Nathan's eyes flickered on Haley, and smiled genuinely, "Yeah, I know."

An odd wave of emotions rolled through Haley's stomach when she saw Nathan smile. Figuring she was probably just extremely hungry, she decided to ignore the unfamiliar sensation and continued reading her lines.

"Thank you for being so patient with me. I know I've been really reluctant about going out with you, but I'm glad you never gave up-" She tried her best to memorize that line when Nathan wracked his brain for what came next.

"I could never give up on you, Beth Camara. I'm glad you finally said yes." He smirked again, which Haley was then inclined to blush at.

Putting on her best flirtatious smile, Haley's eyes twinkled in the morning sun. "Me too."

"So where's Emma tonight?"

Haley looked back up from the script and back into Nathan's warm blue eyes, "My mom's watching her."

"Did you, uh, tell Emma about us?" He asked, acting nervously.

Haley bit gently on her lower lip, something she learned in acting school, whenever she had to portray a certain feeling. "Umm, no, not yet. But I'm sure she's going to be really excited when I do tell may even be a bit jealous. I'm pretty sure she has a crush on you-"

Nathan laughed, but forgot his line. Closing one eye, he tried desperately to remember it, but sighed in frustration when he couldn't think of it.

Haley smiled patiently, knowing that Nathan was trying to remember his line.

"Ugh, sorry, I thought I had this part memorized." He explained with disappointment.

"It's okay." Haley comforted, then turned her script around for him to read.

"Thanks." He smiled, quickly reacquainting himself with the words before practicing again. For the next hour, Nathan and Haley were preoccupied with learning the script as they offered one another feedback and helpful tips in learning or improving their lines.

As they were about to finish up, Nathan's cell phone began to ring in his jean pocket and decided to look at the ID. "It's Mike." He announced as he pushed the green answer button.

"Hello? ….Yeah, we're here now…. Okay…. Yeah…. Sure…. Alright….Bye…." He finished the conversation only to slide his phone back into his jeans.

"What did he say?" Haley inquired immediately.

"He wants us to practice one more scene, but it may require us to get to know each other a little more-" Nathan revealed reluctantly.

"Okay, what is it?"

Nathan coughed lightly, "The kiss."

"Oh, okay." Haley nodded professionally. "I guess we should get used to it before we start filming. We have to make it look natural-"

"Don't worry." Nathan smirked, "I'm a professional."

Haley actually laughed quietly, which didn't go unnoticed by Nathan.

"You so just laughed." He smirked proudly.

"Whatever, don't think this changes how I feel about you-" She warned with a small grin.

Nathan smiled, "I wouldn't dream of it."

Haley's eyes quickly scanned the pier and noticed a few people passing by on a small boat.

"You know what, we better not do the kiss here." She announced suddenly.

Nathan nodded in agreeal, "That's a good idea. You can come back to my place, if you want."

Haley stood from the wooden table and grabbed her belongings. "Alright." She spoke, desperately trying to hide the awkwardness that seeped through her tone. After exchanging phone numbers with Nathan, as well as writing down his address, the actors separated for a short while, only to be reunited less than 15 minutes later at Nathan's beach house.

She tried to fight an eye roll when she noticed his three sports cars parked in the round driveway. Of course he'd have a cherry red Ferrari and golden yellow lamborghini.

The cliche of a typical bachelor pad only intensified when he opened the door.

The walls were a drab grey with black leather couches surrounding a 60 inch plasma television screen in the living room. There were absolutely no traces of color or decorations, besides the various pictures of athletes and awards spread on the bare walls.

And of course, like most other single guys who lived alone, there was an empty pizza box sitting on top the coffee table, as well as a few empty bottles of beer scattered aimlessly around the house.

"Sorry, I didn't clean up." Nathan excused as he hastily pushed a stack of what Haley presumed to be Playboy magazines under the couch. Once again, she wanted to roll her eyes. He was such a guy.

"It's fine." She shrugged as her gaze further took in the sports memorabilia on the walls. "You're a basketball fan, huh?" She inquired when she noticed the framed Chicago Bulls 23 jersey over the television.

Nathan fell back against the leather couch and beamed. "Yeah, I always dreamed of being in the NBA. Besides acting, basketball is all I ever do."

Haley smiled at the joy in his tone. "How come you didn't try out? For the NBA I mean…"

Nathan shrugged, avoiding eye contact with her. "I just never thought I'd be good enough."

"Well, I'm sure you're better than me. I can't play sports to save my life." Haley attempted to joke in order to lighten the heavy atmosphere, which in turn, Nathan gratefully appreciated.

Nathan chuckled softly, "Wow, I thought you were little miss perfect."

Haley sighed with indignation lurking through her veins. "I'm not-"

"Then why do you try to act like you are-?" Nathan questioned knowingly.

"I don't!" Haley protested. "Why do you always think you know everything about me?"

"I don't." Nathan mimicked.

Haley sighed again. "Can we just get this over with?"

Nathan laughed, "Spoken like a true romantic."

"Whatever." She muttered dryly. "I just have a lot to do today-"

"So you won't be stripping like Kate Winslet did for Leonardo DiCaprio before they filmed Titanic?" Nathan smirked.

"Absolutely not!" Haley huffed. "We're just practicing a small kiss."

"It says it has to last about fifteen seconds." Nathan pointed out. "Well technically there are two. The first one is like five seconds, and then the next one is ten seconds and more heated-"

"Okay well it's part of the job…" She drawled out.

Nathan grinned as he stood up from the couch and walked closer to Haley who was quickly re-reading the script.

"Let's take it from when they're on the porch after he drove her home from the date-" Haley instructed.

"Alright, whichever works for you."

Haley cleared her throat softly and began reading the first line. "I had an amazing time tonight, Jimmy-"

"God, that's so freaking cliche!" Nathan interrupted. "Can we change that line?"

Haley rolled her eyes, "I didn't write the script!"

Nathan continued to grumble under his breath, "Whatever, just keep going-"

"Anyway…." Haley faked a smile. "I hope we can do this again, maybe, sometime…."

"How about tomorrow, then?" Nathan gave his best dreamy smile. "I know I probably seem like I'm coming on too strong, but I'm done hiding my feelings for you. I like you, a lot, Beth. This date wasn't just something to quench my thirst. If anything, you've only left me more dehydrated, and you're my water-" Nathan tried to read the line seriously, but ended up laughing midway though. "This is the stupidest freaking line I've ever read in my entire life. Like who the hell says shit like this?"

Haley scowled, "Nice guys!"

"Is that how High-Hat won you over?" He chuckled amusingly to himself.

Haley rolled her eyes, "No, but even if _Wyatt_ did say that, it'd still be better than, 'Wow, you're hot, let's make out.' Girls hate stuff like that-"

"Really, 'cuz it works for me." Nathan smirked.

"That's because the girls you're always with are lucky if they have half a brain-"

Nathan smirked at her heated tone, "Jealous much?"

Haley scoffed loudly, "As if."

Nathan shook his head and looked back down at the script. "I want to be with you, Beth. You and Emma ."

Haley smiled again as directed by in the script. "Well then, we want to be with you too. You're one of the best things to have ever happened to us-"

Nathan placed his hands around Haley's thin waist and looked longingly into her deep muddy eyes.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" She whispered in a breathy voice, looking up from the script.

Nathan glanced at his own script beside him and took a deep breath, before looking back into her eyes. "Because you're beautiful Beth, and I'm thinking I have to kiss you now-"

"Well, if you have to-" She giggled, only to be silenced when Nathan's irresistibly soft lips came dangerously close to hers.

"Are you ready?" He asked softly, breaking out of character.

Haley nodded hastily. "Just shut up and get it over with-"

Nathan chuckled softly against her lips and finally snapped his eyes shut when he pressed his soft lips against Haley's. The second their mouths linked, an electric shockwave coursed through their bones and rattled their spines in an unbelievable sensation.

She has kissed at least a dozen guys for her career, but none of them ever were like this. Jumping back at the thought, Haley's heart almost beat through the thick walls of her chest.

Nathan's hands were now on her cheeks as he was staring down at her with a warm smile.

Her next line was "Wow…" but whether it was her line or not, it still slipped from her lips. The second kiss in the script was next, and Nathan's pants tightened with anticipation. He was a guy afterall…

She then jumped on the tips of her toes, and wrapped her arms around his waist as he pulled her closer to him. Their lips fused together, and surprisingly enough, Nathan was a pure gentleman and didn't try to slip his tongue into her open lips. She smiled softly when he grazed his thumb on her cheek, and felt his soft lips dance passionately over hers.

It was probably more than ten seconds by now, and Haley knew she had to pull away before she did something she regretted. Especially now that Nathan's hands were dipping extremely south…

"Okay! I think we're done!" She shrieked as she practically jumped ten feet back, disentangling herself from him and straightened out her clothes. She needed to get out of there quickly. She didn't know why, but she felt like she had just cheated on her boyfriend and she didn't like the feeling one-bit.

Nathan's eyebrows cinched together, "Are you okay? Did I do something wrong?" He asked as he brought his fingers up to his tingling lips, just as in shock as Haley was.

"I have to go-" She muttered quickly gathering her things and avoided looking into his tantalizing blue eyes as she silently repeated that she hated him. It was the only way to stop her from actually accepting the fact that they had an insane amount of chemistry, and maybe, just maybe, a small part of her actually enjoyed that kiss.

Nathan, simply smirked to himself and watched as Haley left in a hurry. He was right, he had the best damn job in the world. Haley James was one of the sexiest women he'd ever seen and he practically got paid to kiss her!

Haley, on the other hand, just decided, that she had officially gone crazy.

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks for reading! I hope you liked this one as much as the last one. Thanks again for all the feedback!<strong>

**Next chapter you'll get to meet Wyatt, and Nathan and Haley fight some more. **

**I have to say, I'm usually a naley fluff writer but I'm having a ton of fun writing them hating each other. But don't worry it won't last forever ;) **


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you again for all the amazing support! I'm so happy you're all enjoying this as much as I am enjoying writing it. **

**I hope you like this chapter. Let me know whatcha' think!**

* * *

><p>"What do <em>you <em>want?" Nathan spat rudely into his obnoxiously loud cellphone which awoke him from a sound sleep.

"Good morning to you too, sunshine." Haley muttered sarcastically.

"This better be good. You just woke me up-" Nathan grumbled as he rolled over onto his back with his phone pressed to his ear, snapping his eyes shut in order to dull the ache of his eyes.

"It's almost eleven! How on earth are you still sleeping?" Haley shrieked.

Nathan smirked at the memories from the night before- though they were few and far between, the naked form which lie beside him was a helpful reminder.

Ever since the kiss with Haley, Nathan's mind couldn't stop replaying the moment, which was weird considering how much he hated her. Not to mention he never actually wanted to kiss the same girl twice, but here he was, unable to wait for the next time he'd be able to kiss her luscious lips…

Shaking those horrendous thoughts from his head, Nathan instead focused on the night before. The only way for his mind to quit deceiving him was to go out, get wasted, and hook up with one of the dozen girls who latched onto him the second he walked into the club.

When he was drunk enough to forget the taste of Haley's lips, he'd pick one lucky girl and drag her home with him where he'd use her until he passed out.

"It was a long night-" Nathan finally spoke as a sly grin stretched over his face when he felt the sleeping blonde beside him subconsciously run her tan leg against his calf.

Haley scoffed into the speaker, "Ugh! Please spare me the details-"

"Jealous much?"

Haley laughed sarcastically, "Yeah, right. Like I would ever be jealous of some filthy whore-"

"At least she's hot." Nathan retorted.

"You're disgusting!" Haley complained.

"Whatever, Holly. Why the hell are you even calling me?" Nathan fired loudly, stirring the chick who lay in his bed.

"Mike wants you to come to the office. The girl who got casted as Emma is coming and we need to run lines-"

Nathan dragged a tired hand through his messy raven-black hair. "Ugh, okay. I'll be there in an hour-"  
>"No." Haley interrupted. "You need to get here now. So, I advise you to say goodbye to your little slut that you're with and drag your dumb ass out of bed-" She demanded feistily.<p>

Nathan's jaw clenched in rhythm to the rapid beatings of his enraged heart. "Why the hell should I listen to you? You're not the damn boss of me! I hate when you think you're better than me-"

"I don't care!" Haley spewed. "What I do care about though, is our jobs! So if you want to keep yours, I advise you to get to Mike's office, right now!" She demanded furiously, leaving a low beep to hum in Nathan's ear, signaling that the line went dead.

"Bitch!" Nathan shouted into the air, once again making the blonde stir.

Reluctantly rolling out of bed, Nathan shoved the nameless chick and stood above her with a scowl. "It's time for you to leave-"

Her light blue eyes fluttered open as a seductive smile slowly danced on her lips. "Natey-!"

"No." Nathan groaned when her hand wrapped around his neck in a clingy fashion. "I need to go to work, and you need to leave and not come back-"

Her eyes widened, "But-"

"Goodbye!" Nathan called out, feigning sympathy as he walked over to the bathroom and slammed the door shut, praying to God she'd be gone by the time he was done showering.

Nathan Scott hated when they clung. Almost as much as he hated condescending, know-it-alls named Haley James.

* * *

><p>"Have no fear, Nathan Scott is here!" Nathan shouted with a wicked grin as he strolled into the office where Mike, Haley, and a five year old girl were waiting impatiently.<p>

"It's about damn time!" Mike grumbled loudly.

"Finally!" Haley added with an exasperated sigh.

Nathan cut his icy blue eyes at his co-star in a deadly glare. "Can you be any more annoying?"

Haley smirked at the challenge. "As a matter of fact, yes, I can."

"I didn't think that was possible." He bickered.

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed-" Haley joked.

Nathan rolled his eyes, "That's because some bitch called me and woke me up-"

"You-"

"Okay! That's enough!" Mike shouted above the arguing actors. "We have a lot of work to do, and I don't have time to play referee. Now, we have someone very special here with us today-" Mike smiled as he walked over to the small curly haired brunette, "This here is Sophia Sullivan. She's going to be playing Beth's daughter, Emma-"

"Does she even know how to read the script?" Nathan griped.

"Nathan!" Haley scolded. "Don't be rude-"

Nathan glared at her, followed by an eyeroll.

Mike sighed vehemently. "I'll have you know, Mr. Scott, Sophia is the best childhood actress in the business. I told you I want nothing but the best for this movie-"

"So then why is Haley casted as Beth?" Nathan cracked.

Haley mirrored Nathan's glare, as she crossed her arms defiantly over her chest.

"Mr. Scott, I have thirteen other actors who would do anything for your part. You need to start taking this job seriously-" Mike warned.

Nathan stuffed his hands awkwardly in his jean pockets with a small shrug. "Fine."

"Sophia, I'd like you to meet Nathan Scott, and Haley James-" Mike introduced with a friendly smile.

Haley immediately crouched down in front of Sophia and smiled, "It's so nice to meet you, Sophia."

"You too." Sophia giggled with a dimpled smile. "You're pretty!"

Haley blushed as Nathan stood next to her with a discreet eye roll.

"Aw thank you! So are you." Haley spoke with a gracious smile.

"Thank you, Miss. Haley!" Sophia replied, then turned more towards Nathan who was awkwardly staring down at his feet. He was never good with kids and had no idea what to do, unlike Miss. Perfect who of course had a sweet spot for children. Figures.

"You're cute!" Sophia beamed up at Nathan with an adorable grin.

Haley couldn't stop the small laugh that escaped her lips when she noticed how uncomfortable Nathan looked.

"Uh, thanks." Nathan smiled at the adorable little girl.

"You're welcome."

"Such a ladies man." Haley joked with a sly grin.

Nathan gave her a playful grin which did not go unnoticed by Sophia. "Are you dating?" She asked simply.

"Oh, no, definitely not!" Nathan refuted promptly.

"No! Absolutely not." Haley shouted over Nathan's protests.

Mike simply chuckled under his breath as Sophia blinked with confusion.

"Uh, anyway…" Mike cleared his throat softly. "Why don't we act the scene where Jimmy meets Emma for the first time?"

"Okay!" Sophia agreed.

Haley smiled down at her on screen daughter, "Sounds good."

"Whatever." Nathan grumbled as he quickly wracked his brain for the lines for this scene.

"Great. Now, the scene takes place in the cafe. Beth is busy working and doesn't notice Jimmy walk in, who see's Emma sitting in the corner and talks to her. You can start whenever you're ready." Mike advised.

Nathan nodded at the command and conformed to his character as he approached Sophia and smiled.

"_Mind if I sit here?" Nathan asked, prompting the scene._

_Sophia scrunched her nose on her face, "My mommy says I'm not allowed to talk to strangers."_

_Nathan chuckled quietly, "Yeah, your mom is right. But didn't she also tell you to never sit by yourself in a crowded place?"_

_Sophia shrugged, "No. She's busy working."_

"_And she just left you here?" Nathan feigned shock._

_Sophia shrugged, "Yeah, but it's okay. I'm drawing."_

"_Drawing, huh?" Nathan grinned softly, "Whatcha' making, squirt?"_

_Sophia giggled softly, "A flower. It's for my mom. She loves flowers."_

_Nathan heard Sophia speak but was unable to answer as his character was supposed to now be transfixed on Haley's character._

"_What are your looking at, mister?" Sophia questioned as she craned her neck to see Haley who was supposed to be in the midst of cleaning a table._

"_Uh, nothing-" Nathan quickly dodged as he turned towards the small girl._

_Sophia smiled knowingly. "Isn't she pretty?"_

"_Wh-what?" Nathan stuttered. "Oh, uhh yeah, she's… beautiful-"_

"_I know." Sophia grinned dreamily. "I wanna look just like her when I grow up!"_

"_Emma Camara! How many times have I told you not to talk to stran-"' Haley lectured loudly before she realized who was actually talking to her daughter._

"_Oh my… Jimmy. Hi!" She blushed when she looked down at her stained apron, and prayed her hair was not as messy as she knew it would be._

_Nathan smirked, "Hey you."_

"_What are you doing here?" She breathed._

"_I wanted to see you-"_

"_I uh… oh. Um, thank you but I'm really busy-"_

"_That's okay." Nathan smiled again. _

_Sophia turned back towards Nathan with a questioning smile, "Do you know my mommy?"_

"_Who-? Wha-?"_

_Haley blushed softly as she wrapped her arm around Sophia. "Jimmy… this is my four year old daughter, Emma. Emma, this is my… friend… Jimmy-"_

"Alright, good job guys. I'm happy you have the lines memorized. Some of the scenes need work, but we'll figure it out when filming starts next week. I just want to see one more scene before you go."

"Which one?"

Mike hunched over his desk and rapidly flipped through his script until he clacked his lips together with satisfaction when he found what he was looking for.

"The part when Jimmy and Beth take Emma out, and she see's them kiss-"

"Okay." Haley nodded obediently. "But I don't really have that part memorized yet-"

"Neither do I." Sophia added shyly.

"That's okay." Mike smiled, "You can read the script."

Nathan let out an obnoxious sigh, "Can we get this over with?"

Haley rolled her eyes as she flipped through the script to the part.

Mike shook his head with remorse as he pointed over to the couch in his office. "You two sit there and act like you like each other. The scene picks up with you two cuddling on the couch and Emma walks in."

Nathan groaned under his breath and plopped down on the leather couch as Haley reluctantly scooted closer to him. It was almost impossible to go from hating him to acting as if she liked him within seconds. It was all a part of her job.

"Action." Mike called out from his desk.

_Nathan wrapped his arm tightly around Haley as she rested her head on his shoulder so that he was able to detect the pleasant scent of strawberries accentuating her hair._

"_Tonight was nice." Haley whispered as she absentmindedly ran her fingers over Nathan's taut chest._

_Nathan looked to the side and smiled, "Yeah. It was." He breathed, then dropped a quick kiss on her forehead. "I love you, you know that, Beth Camara?"_

_A large smile spread over Haley's cherry glossed lips. "I love you too, baby."_

_Nathan grinned as he ran his hand over her soft cheek while looking longingly in her deep brown eyes. "Do you think Emma had fun tonight?"_

"_She did." Haley whispered against his lips. "And she loves you too."_

_Nathan's eyes sparkled. "Really?"_

"_Mhmm." She nodded as her nose gently grazed his. "Yeah, and it's kind of sexy how good you were with her-"_

_Nathan chuckled, "Oh yeah?"_

"_Definitely." Haley read as she slightly rolled over so she was now straddling him giving Nathan the green light to capture her lips in a slow but passionate kiss. _

_Slowly guilt began to trickle through Haley's veins as she kissed Nathan. She knew it was part of her job, but something about it felt so wrong because in some odd way it just felt… right._

_She silently prayed Sophia would speak her line so that the scene would end. _

_Nathan's lips danced delicately over her own, and knowing that Mike was watching, she decided to play it up as much as possible. She wound her arms around his neck as she absentmindedly played with the thin hairs on the nape of his neck when he ran soothing circles over her lower back. _

_Nathan's mind was in a haze and almost forgot that he was acting until Sophia spoke her next line._

"_Ewww!" _

_Haley laughed as she untangled herself from Nathan, turning to face her on-screen daughter. "What are you still doing up, Em? You know it's way past your bedtime!" She lectured lightly, further twisting in Nathan's arms._

"_I had a bad dream, Mommy."_

_Haley stretched her arms out in order for Sophia to climb up onto the couch and nestle her way in between the couple. "I'm sorry sweetie. Do you want me to tuck you back in?"_

"_Can Jimmy, too?"_

_Nathan smiled as he lifted Sophia onto his lap and popped a kiss on her forehead. "Of course, squirt."_

"_Yay!" She squealed as she clung tightly to him. "I love you, Jimmy."_

_Nathan shared a warm look with Haley and smiled lovingly. "I love you too, Emma."_

Mike clapped his hands together loudly as he stood up from his desk with a triumphant smile. "That was great you guys. I'm really loving the chemistry right now. I swear you could pass for a real family-"

Haley felt her cheeks redden at the compliment, while Nathan simply scoffed at the thought.

Cutting his eyes at the actor, Mike shook his head with distaste. "You know, I don't understand you, Nathan. You can go from being a jerk to a family man in seconds. You'd make a great husband and father one day, if you just quit being a pompous a-hole-"

Haley nodded in agreeal beside Mike. Nathan definitely had potential. He wouldn't be able to act so sincere if he didn't have the roots for it. She knew he had a heart in there somewhere, _it was just a matter of time until the ice melted._

Nathan almost choked on the water he was currently sipping. "Yeah, well, that's never going to happen. I'm a great actor, but the real me loves the life I'm living, so how about you mind your own damn business and let me do my job-?"

_Or maybe not…._ Haley thought to herself with a sour smile.

Mike sighed with defeat. "Okay, Scott, but one day you'll realize I'm right."

Nathan's blue eyes shot to the ceiling, signaling boredom. "Can I go yet?"

"Yeah-"

"Thank god!" Nathan breathed with relief as he rapidly walked to the exit until Mike shouted to wait.

"I'm having a small cast party tonight at my beach house. It's at seven. Will you be able to make it?" Mike questioned hopefully.

Nathan shrugged, "I'll have to check my calendar-"

Haley rolled her eyes, "I'm sure you can bring one of your s-l-u-t-s." She spelled, still wary of the fact Sophia was in the room.

"As a matter of fact, I will." Nathan glared with a wicked smirk.

"Great!" Mike jumped in before Haley could refute.

"Bye, Mister Nathan!" Sophia called out with a sad smile as she remained seated on the leather couch next to Haley.

Nathan's features softened. In a small amount of time, he developed a sweet spot for the young actor. He may not like Haley, but at least he had little Sophia by his side.

"Bye Sophia! It was nice to meet you." He called out with a friendly wave.

Sophia's smile brightened and Haley tried to understand the change in Nathan's behavior. She tried to grasp whether or not he was acting fake, but for some reason, she swore he wore a genuine smile when he looked at Sophia, only for it to disappear the second his eyes locked with her.

Haley narrowed her brown orbs challengingly at the blue eyed actor. Maybe Nathan Scott wasn't who everyone believed him to be…

* * *

><p>Once again, Haley was dead wrong. Nathan Scott was exactly who everyone believed him to be. A complete and utter jack ass. Her stomach churned with disgust when he and his blonde haired bimbo who was practically draped around him, walked into the party with a grin plastered over his face like he owned the fucking world.<p>

How she could possibly believe Nathan had a soft side was beyond her. She was obviously not thinking coherently at the time.

He showed up to the party almost an hour late, and when Sophia ran to greet him, he simply ignored her and headed straight to the bar. What the hell was wrong with him?

Now he was sucking the face off of the blonde model in front of the entire cast. Ugh. What a pig!

"Everything okay?" Haley heard her boyfriend, Wyatt ask as he wrapped his arms around her thin waist.

She closed her eyes when she felt his loving embrace and sighed. "Nathan's just being an ass, again-"

Wyatt's eyes widened, "Did he do anything to you?"

"No." Haley turned in his embrace and rested her head against his shoulder. "His presence just annoys me-"

"You know, it's probably not too late to back out of the movie-" Wyatt suggested with a small smile.

Haley laughed softly, looking back into his light green eyes. "You know I can't do that. This is my dream role. It's just a shame I have to be working alongside him-" She pointed in Nathan's direction who was now chugging back a shot of Whiskey.

Wyatt gave Haley a sympathetic smile. "I know, but I know you Haley. As much as you hate him, you'll put up with him because you love your job. And the plus side is, I won't have to worry about you falling for him since you hate him that much-"

Haley faked a small laugh, "You got that right."

"It'll be fine honey, and if it's not, I will talk to him-" Wyatt promised with a small kiss.

Haley mirrored his smile, "Thanks, I knew I loved you."

Wyatt chuckled, "You better."

Before Haley was able to respond, the couple was interrupted by a loud ringing cell phone. "Sorry, I need to take this." Wyatt excused. "It's work."

Haley's shoulders slumped with dismay. "Okay." She breathed as Wyatt pressed a quick kiss on her cheek then disappeared somewhere more quiet.

She loved Wyatt, and she was so thankful for him. They had met at a charity event almost two years ago, and she instantly fell for his boyish good looks and witty attitude. He was one of the smartest people she had ever met, having attended Harvard University, then moved out to Los Angeles in order to start his own company which was now one of the richest businesses in the country. She didn't care about his money though, just like he didn't care she was America's Sweetheart. They were just two people in love.

Haley just wished she got to see him more. Their jobs both required them to travel, and they'd sometimes go months without seeing each other. It wasn't easy, but they were able to do long distance. Wyatt would visit Haley wherever she was filming as much as he had the chance. However, the part that drove Haley crazy was when they were actually together he was still working. She understood he was busy, and she wasn't mad at him, but it started to get annoying. They'd be in the middle of a romantic dinner, or sharing a passionate kiss, and his phone would ring which he'd almost always have to answer. The worst part was when they were at parties like this, and he'd end up leaving for a while to take care of work. She was thankful he'd come, but she just wished he didn't leave her side.

Now she was standing alone in the middle of a crowded room, feeling terribly lonely.

"Where's loveboy?" She heard a familiar voice ask from behind her.

Suppressing a groan, Haley reluctantly turned around. "That's none of your business."

Nathan smirked, "Or did you make him up just so I wouldn't hit on you?"

Haley scoffed as she folded her arms over her chest defensively, "He's here."

"Really? Because I don't see him…" Nathan pointed out, causing the slut beside him to laugh.

Deciding not to entertain him, Haley changed the topic. "Who's your friend? You do remember her name, right?"

Nathan glared at her as she grinned with satisfaction.

"This is Julie. She's an up and coming actress-" Nathan introduced the two women.

"Oh you mean, like, a porn star?" Haley fired back coolly.

Julie looked up at Nathan with a pout. "Oh my god, Natey! Did you just like hear what she said?"

Haley almost laughed at the cliche of a Hollywood wannabe in front of her.

Nathan pulled Julie closer to him and smirked. "Don't worry about her, Julie, she'd just jealous."

"Yeah right!" Haley laughed.

"What's your problem tonight?" Nathan spat angrily.

Haley sighed with frustration. "The same as always. You know, today, for one second, I actually thought you weren't bad as you seem, but once again, you proved me wrong!"

"What did I do now?" Nathan feigned guilt.

Haley leaned in closely with rage, jabbing her finger against his taut chest, "You can be a dick to me all you want, but you better not be mean to Sophia, she's only five-"

Nathan's eyebrows furrowed, "What the hell are you talking about?"

"You know what I'm talking about! Don't hurt her feelings, because for some unknown reason, she actually likes you. Don't let her down-" Haley warned accusingly.

"Whatever." Nathan grumbled.

"I'm not kidding, Nathan!" Haley shouted.

"I'm not kidding, Nathan!" Nathan mimicked in a high pitched voice, once again causing the bimbo in his arms to laugh.

Haley's eyes narrowed to a horizontal line, "Screw you."

"Nah, I think Julie's got that covered." Nathan grinned.

"Is there a problem here?" Wyatt asked as Haley breathed a sigh of relief when she felt his presence next to hers.

"Not at all." Nathan grinned, his eyes still locked on Haley's.

"Listen man, you have to back off-" Wyatt warned.

Nathan chuckled sardonically. "You must be Wyatt. I've heard a lot about you."

Wyatt grew stiff, and Haley noticed his mouth was twisted , a sure sign he was growing mad.

"Nathan Scott. I've heard about you too."

"I'm sure you have." Nathan goaded proudly. "Has Haley mentioned how good our kisses are? I must say, she's a hell of a kisser-"

Wyatt exhaled sharply, "Don't get any ideas. She'd never fall for your bullshit-"

"Wanna bet?" Nathan smirked cockily.

"Stop!" Haley shrieked.

Nathan rolled his eyes, "Don't worry, it's not like I'm actually into you."

"Good." Wyatt huffed.

"Although, if I were you, Wyatt, I'd be pretty worried. You know, Haley and I are going to have a big love scene and I'm sure I can satisfy her a hell of a lot more than you can, judging by her uptightness-"

"Shut the hell up!" Wyatt demanded. "Before I knock you out-"

Nathan smirked at the challenge, "I'd like to see you try, little boy." He taunted as he lunged across at him and threw a few punches to his jaw.

Wyatt yelped in pain. He was never the type of man to get into fights but Nathan Scott was the exception.

He lunged across at the actor and knocked him straight onto the floor, causing Haley and Julie to scream shrilly.

"Get the hell off me, jackass! I could sue you!" Nathan shouted as he began to choke Wyatt around the neck.

Wyatt gasped for air as he brought his fist through the air which then hit Nathan square in the left eye.

"Wyatt! Are you crazy? Get off of him!" Haley demanded as she swiftly grabbed him by the back of his polo shirt and held him back from further hitting Nathan.

Nathan growled in pain as he stood up with a hand covering his eye and scowled at Wyatt. "I could kill you-"

"What the hell is going on here?" Mike shouted around the circle of spectator's, pushing his way through to where the brawl just took place.

"That dick just punched me in the fucking face!" Nathan screamed.

"He started it!" Wyatt retorted lamely as he began to rub his sore jaw.

"Christ, Nathan!" Mike cursed. "Filming starts tomorrow and now you're going to have a black eye! What's wrong with you?"

Haley shook her head at the two grown men. "I can't believe you two! You're both to blame! You're acting like freaking animals!"

"I'm sorry, baby-" Wyatt frowned.

"Sorry." Nathan mumbled lamely towards Haley and Mike.

Haley blew out a breath in disbelief. "I am so ashamed of both of you right now. Wyatt, you know better than to fight back, and Nathan, I don't even know what to say to you anymore. I keep giving you chances, and you keep blowing it. And it's probably a good thing, because at this point, there's nothing you can say or do that's gonna surprise me..."

Nathan frowned, inwardly hating seeing her this upset. He immediately began to feel sorry for the way he acted. He just hoped he could some how make it up to her…

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks for reading. <strong>

**Hope you'll stay tuned :) A lot is about to happen…. **

****BTW I'll have "Give Your Heart a Break" updated within a few days, and then "Story of Us". I might even add a chapter to "Sweeter than Fiction" so be on the look out :) **


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks for all the support! Here's the next chapter. Hope you like it :) **

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><p><strong>"<strong>**You're late!" Mike Swan called out, huffing in annoyance as he sat back in his director's chair patiently waiting to begin the initial filming for the day. **

Nathan rolled his eyes with annoyance, "What did you expect? It's six am! You're lucky I made it here in the first place-"

Mike ran his fingers through his shaggy hair, clearing his throat before he spoke. "Mr. Scott, I told you ten times that this job is not a joke. I can have you replaced in a heartbeat-"

"I know. I know. I told you I'm sorry, now where's my better half?" Nathan smiled crookedly as his eyes roamed over the desolate stage house for Haley.

"She's in hair and make-up. Speaking of, you better get over to your trailer and take care of that shiner of yours-" Mike directed with a small smile, pointing to the deep purple bruise which circled Nathan's left eye.

"Ugh, don't remind me." Nathan grumbled, gently rubbing the wound with his thumb.

"Next time you have to be more careful. Another stunt like that and it could cost us this movie-"

Nathan rolled his eyes good naturedly, "Yeah, yeah. Don't worry. I'm sure that Wyatt guy won't be near me anytime soon-"

"Nathan." Mike spoke. "You better not mess around with Haley…"

Nathan's cocky smirk slowly fell to a gentle sloped smile, "She's too good for me, Swan."

"At least you realized." Mike laughed heartily, "I'll see you here back in ten minutes."

Nathan nodded curtly, then made his way over to find his trailer as he carried a plastic cup carrier which contained a mug of hot chocolate and coffee.

Before he found his, he quickly stopped in front of Haley's and knocked loudly on her door. Within seconds, the door swung open revealing a robe clad Haley with her light brown tresses wrapped around a few red curlers.

"Nathan! Hey!" She greeted with a shocked shriek, subconsciously wrapping the robe tighter around her waist. "What's up?"

Nathan's mind hazed for a second, almost forgetting why he was standing in front of Haley until he looked down and remembered the hot chocolate cup. "Mornin' sunshine-!" He held out the cup with a warm smile.

Haley's heart thumped loudly against the walls of her thick chest at his friendly gesture. "Is that hot chocolate?"

Nathan nodded in confirmation, "Yup. You don't drink coffee, remember?" He smirked playfully.

Haley rolled her eyes playfully as she gratefully accepted the cup from his warm hands. She couldn't believe he remembered...

"Thanks, but um… why?" She questioned guilty.

Nathan blew out a deep breath, figuring she'd question his motives. "Look, I'm not like you, okay-"

"What does that mean?" Haley snapped as her grip around the hot cup tightened.

Nathan sighed again, "I just- I screw up a lot, okay? I know I've been a dick these past few days, and I'm sorry. I know you don't think it, but this job means a lot to me, and I don't want to keep screwing up. I'm trying here, like I'm really trying. I know we got off on the wrong foot and I get it if you don't like me, but I want to prove to you that I'm not as bad as you think I am…I'm not good at this whole apologizing thing but all I'm asking for is a second chance…" Nathan finished his rant with a nervous smile as Haley bit gently on her lower lip, attempting to stifle a smile.

"Well then I guess I better apologize too." Haley spoke softly. "I've been a bitch to you for no reason, and that wasn't fair-"

Nathan's shoulder slumped dejectedly, "I gave you reasons, Haley. You had every right to treat me like that. Especially last night…"

Haley's perfectly manicured eyebrow lifted in an arch as she smiled knowingly. "So that's what this is about? My lecture from last night?"

Nathan's blue eyes dropped to the floor as he shuffled awkwardly on his feet. "Yeah, I went home and thought about it, and you were right-"

"Ha!" Haley cheered with satisfaction, causing Nathan to scoff lightly.

"Don't get used to it, James." He warned with a small grin.

Her eyes swept in a circular motion as she laughed softly, "I wouldn't dream of it, Scott."  
>Nathan brought his coffee cup up in the air, signaling a toast, as Haley clinked her hot chocolate against his.<p>

"To new beginnings!" She cheered after sipping a long gulp of her warm drink.

Nathan smiled and chugged down his black coffee in one long sip, then finished it off with a satisfied sigh.

"What?" He asked as he sensed Haley's gaze upon him.

"How's your eye?" She asked growing quite timid.

Nathan shrugged simply, "Doesn't even hurt. You should see the other guy-"

Haley's eyes narrowed warningly, "Don't even-"

"Sorry." Nathan laughed, "How is he?"

"Better than you." Haley stated as she took in the nasty black eye which looked painted around his eye. "I'm sorry he punched you-"

Once again, Nathan's shoulders hunched quickly, "I kind of deserved it."

Haley's lips curled into a sympathetic smile, "Yeah, you kind of did."

A quiet chuckle emitted from Nathan's lips as he looked back into Haley's deep brown eyes, "Does he hate me?" He asked dreadfully.

Haley twisted her lips to the side of her face with reluctance, "Um, let's just say he's not your biggest fan-"

"I'm used to it." Nathan groaned, running his fingers through his short raven black hair.

Haley gave Nathan a sympathetic smile as she reached over and placed her hand on his forearm, desperately trying to ignore the sudden shockwaves that shot up her fingers.

"I talked to him though, and he said he still wants to apologize. He feels really bad about it-"

Nathan coughed softly, "It's not big deal. We both did things that weren't called for, but I've moved past it-"

Haley nodded, "Okay, good, I'm glad." Her smile grew larger, and Nathan felt his stomach twist into a tight knot while his heart fluttered lightly in his chest. Unknown to the feeling, a wave of panic coursed through him. "I uh… I better get going. I need to get make up for this-" He explained with a nervous stutter.

"Yeah, sorry again-"

"No big deal. It just sucks I have to put make up on-"

Haley laughed, "You can borrow some of mine if you'd like-"  
>Nathan's nose scrunched tightly and looked further into her trailer, "Hey, don't you have like people to do your hair and makeup for you?"<p>

Haley simply waved her hand in dismissal, "Yeah, but I prefer to do it on my own."

Nathan smiled genuinely, "You don't need all of that stuff to look pretty you know-"

Haley felt her cheeks flush with intense heat, "Was that one of your lines?" She fired back.

Nathan's lips turned wider at her response. He noticed the way her cheeks pinked and loved it; not to mention her witty response. Maybe he didn't hate her after all…

* * *

><p>Once Nathan and Haley were done in their trailers, they found their way to the sound stage where the rest of the crew were gathered around the set eagerly awaiting to begin the day.<p>

Sophia was wide eyed, despite the early time, and wore an excited smile when she finally noticed Nathan and Haley appear.

"Nathan! Haley!" She shrieked as she she jumped off of the chair she was sitting in and ran over to the actors, giving them a cheerful smile.

"Hey Soph!" Haley greeted, leaning down onto her knees as she enveloped the small girl with a giant hug. "Are you ready to start?"

"Yeah! I can't wait." She gushed, flashing her dimpled smile, causing Haley's heart to melt.

Nathan watched on with a smile of his own, "Hey Squirt. I've got a surprise for you!"

Sophia's large brown eyes grew with excitement as she turned toward the blue eyed actor, "You do?"

Nathan nodded, slowly revealing a pink bag which hid behind his back. He leaned down so he could be closer to Sophia when he handed her the gift bag.

Immediately, her smile stretched over her cheeks, screaming with delight when she opened the bag and found a small pink elephant stuffed animal.

"I heard you liked elephants. Is that true?" Nathan prodded playfully.

Hugging the plush animal tightly to her chest, Sophia's cheeks blushed brightly. "I love elephants! Thank you so much!"

Nathan was a bit surprised when Sophia flung her arms around him, but glad that she was happy, he hugged her back. "I'm glad you like it."

Haley watched the sweet exchange with a warm smile. Inwardly, she was still a bit wary of Nathan's behavior change, but she wasn't about to start questioning it. She was satisfied to see he was trying. Not to mention, how happy Sophia seemed to be when she was around him.

She decided to give him one last chance, for always believing to see the good in people. She just prayed he wouldn't blow it.

"Hey guys, are you ready to start?" Mike called out from his director's chair which was staged in front of the cafe set. Today they were going to be filming the beginning of the movie; Haley's character Beth would be shown partaking in her busy schedule, working at the cafe while taking care of her daughter. But first, Mike wanted to start with the scene where Jimmy and Beth met for the first time, even though it wouldn't be the opening scene.

Nathan glanced over at Haley who nodded as she she ran her hand over her costume; a simple pair of jeans, a black t-shirt, and an egg-shell white apron. Nathan never knew something so plain could be so… breathtaking.

Looking down at himself, he was satisfied with his character's outfit for the day; a navy blue suit matched with a baby blue pinstriped neck tie, which made his magnificent crystal blue eyes pop tantalizingly.

"I'm ready." Nathan spoke, walking onto set to where the stage crew directed him to hide behind a small door which he would walk through when Mike would call action.

Meanwhile, Haley was directed to act as if she was busily working behind the counter, talking to a few extras, or other waitresses, and would eventually ask Nathan for his order.

Once everyone were in their places, Mike shouted action, and the cameras began rolling.

_Haley was humming lightly under her breath as she smiled at a few extras who played customers, and danced her way to the kitchen. She tried to act as aloof as possible, despite how stressed her character actually was._

_That's what Haley loved about playing Beth; no matter how stressed she was, she'd never complain. Instead, she'd simply smile and go about her task as if nothing was even wrong._

"_Hey Beth, how ya doin'?" A slightly overweight dark haired woman called out from her spot in the kitchen._

_Haley looked over her shoulder and greeted her 'co-worker' with a friendly smile. "I'm great, Jane! How are you?"_

"_Oh I'm doin' just fine, darlin'. Shouldn't you be on break right about now?"_

_Haley gave a tired sigh, but smiled nonetheless, "I'm working overtime."_

"_Oh lord, praise you. I don't know how you do it." Jane shook her head with praise. _

_Haley let out a laugh, while stacking dishes on top of a tray, ready to be carried out to the customers._

"_I don't know either-" Haley spoke._

"_She's superwoman, I'll tell ya!" A fiery haired waitress declared, joining in on the tail end of the conversation._

_Haley smiled with appreciation, "You guys give me too much credit."_

"_You deserve it, Beth!" Jane spoke, "How's Emma doin'?"_

"_She's getting so big! You have got to see her!"_

"_I'm sure she's beautiful, just like her mama-"_

_Haley blushed at the compliment as she attempted to swipe a stray curled piece of hair behind her ear. "Thanks Jane-"_

"_Beth!" A loud voice boomed through the noisy kitchen, "Get back to work! Customers are waiting!" Haley's eyes snapped shut, taking a deep breath from the out righteous tone of her boss's voice._

"_You better go-" The red head warned with a sympathetic smile._

"_You're right. I'll see you later…" Haley gave them a quick wave, then burst through the doors, now entering the busy cafe. She noticed the cafe flood with more customers, and huffed under her breath. After delivering the plates to their respective tables, the camera followed Haley to behind the counter where she was in the middle of working a coffee machine._

_Over the loud chitter chatter in the cafe, a bell rang throughout the small set, indicating that there was a customer walking through the door._

_Haley's back was turned to the newest customer and didn't realize that he had walked over to the counter._

_Meanwhile, the fiery red head slowly crept towards Haley with a dreamy grin. "Oh my gosh, Beth, the guy who just walked in is so hot-!"_

_Haley laughed as she rolled her eyes good naturedly, still oblivious to the so called customer._

"_If I had a dollar for every time you said that, I wouldn't have to work here anymore-"_

_The red head laughed along with Haley, and watched at the good looking guy pulled out a newspaper and began to read it._

_Nathan preoccupied himself with reading the fine print while patiently awaiting for Haley to turn around and begin the scene. Mike had called cut in order to change the camera angle, but other than that, Haley immediately picked up from where she left off. Once Mike called action again, Haley turned around and nearly dropped the tray when she noticed "Jimmy" for the first time, sitting casually on a stool by the counter top. _

_Flattening out the wrinkles in her apron, Haley approached Nathan with a warm smile. "Welcome to Raven's Cafe."_

_Nathan looked up from the article he was pretending to read and nearly choked on his breath when he saw Haley. Her large brown eyes bore longingly into his crystal blue orbs._

_Haley felt herself particularly drowning within Nathan's oceanic eyes._

"_Um...Hi." He whispered throatily after a long pause._

"Cut!" Mike called out, standing up from his chair with a disappointed frown. "Nathan, you paused too long, and you sounded nervous. Let's try this again."

Nathan sighed as he ran a hand over his jaw, and took a steady breath. He was definitely off his game today.

_Mike then called Action again, and the actors re-started the scene. _

"_Hi." Nathan smirked immediately after whispering his line to Haley._

_Haley bit gently on her lower lip and gulped nervously. "Can I get you anything?"_

"_How about your number?" Nathan asked, slightly dry._

"Cut!" Mike shouted again.

"What did I do wrong now?" Nathan muttered under his breath.

"I'm not feeling the chemistry between you two. This is the first time they ever meet. It has to scream chemistry. I've seen your real life chemistry, and I know it's there, but right now, I'm not feeling it. Nathan, act like you're really trying to pick up Haley, and Haley, you have to act a bit surprised, but don't be afraid to flirt a bit-"

"Okay." She nodded obediently and quickly took Nathan's hand in hers when she noticed his head drop with shame.

"Are you okay?" She asked softly.

Nathan's breath hitched from her serious compassion. He had no idea what the hell was happening with him. He was one of the best actors in America and now he couldn't even film a short scene without being nervous. Nathan Scott is never nervous…

But now that her hand was on top of his, Nathan's nerves were on the edge of exploding.

Shaking his head slightly, he inhaled a calming breath and offered her a smile. "Yeah, sorry."

Haley smiled at Nathan, and he instantly felt better. "We'll get it. Don't worry." She reassured him with a gentle squeeze.

Nathan nodded and shook off any feelings of uncertainty, right before Mike called action again.

"_Can I get you anything?" Haley asked with a sweet smile, her cheeks pinkening to a cute blush._

_Nathan smirked, excited to flirt with Haley even if it was only for a movie. "How about your number?"_

_Haley's jaw dropped, as her character was not used to men openly flirted with her. "Uh... excuse me?" She stuttered with shock._

_Nathan's smirk fell slightly, "I'm sorry, that was a really pathetic attempt to flirt with you-"_

_Haley blushed yet again as she looked down at her feet. _

_Nathan cleared his throat uncomfortably, "I just… I've walked past this cafe a lot, and I always seem to notice you, and I couldn't help but think how beautiful you were-" He said seriously as he looked into her warm brown eyes. "I never had to guts to talk to you until today and now of course I screw it up… God, I don't even know if you have a boyfriend, and here I am flirting with you-" He rambled nervously as he ran a hand through his raven black hair._

_Haley giggled softly, "It's okay. I guess I'm not used to guys flirting with me-"_

"_Really?" Nathan asked with surprise._

_Haley nodded with a nervous smile._

"_Has anyone ever told you how beautiful you are?" Nathan questioned with a sparkle reflecting in his eyes._

_Haley felt her cheeks flame as she subconsciously pushed her softly curled hair behind her ear. "Has anyone ever told you that you're a flirt?" She retorted with a feisty grin._

_Nathan chuckled at her question, "Well clearly I'm not very good at the whole flirting thing, so no-"_

_Haley giggled girlishly, "Well, besides my number, can I get you anything else?"  
>Nathan playfully pouted, "Hmm, how about your name?"<em>

_A wide grin flourished over her face, "Beth."_

_Nathan stuck his hand out with an inviting smirk, "Jimmy."_

"_Well Jimmy," Haley began, "How 'bout I get you a cup of coffee?"_

"_That sounds good." He smiled, "Thank you."_

_Haley nodded as she reluctantly walked away from him and quickly brewed a cup of coffee, as Nathan's eyes stayed trained on her. When she approached him again, she placed the cup of coffee down on top of a white napkin which had scribbled numbers next to her name and an imprint of a lipstick mark. She had given him her number…._

"That's a wrap! Perfect you guys!" Mike announced as the cameras stopped rolling. Nathan released a breath and gave Haley a quick high five.

"See! I told you, you could do it!" Haley smiled. "You did great!"

"Thanks." Nathan grinned, "So did you."

As he was about to slide off the stool in order to prepare for the next scene, Nathan's eye caught a small paragraph in the local newspaper's 'Daily Gossip' section which was written about the movie he and Haley were working on now, and decided to read it:

"_America's Sweetheart and Hollywood Playboy Working on New Film? That's right, Haley James and Nathan Scott have just been casted to play on-screen lovers for Mike Swan's newest movie, 'Me Plus You.' _

_We're anxious to not only see the movie, but to see how James and Scott work together. They're clearly complete opposites of each other, but they're both extremely attractive. _

_Though Miss. James has a boyfriend of two years, Scott is one of America's most eligible bachelors who has a reputation of hooking up with co-stars. Rumor has it that James and Scott initially did not get along… So what will be in store for these two? Stay tuned! _


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys! Thanks for being so patient. I was really stressed this past week but I wanted to get this story updated. I'm really happy with the progress so far and I love reading your kinds reviews, so thanks for that…**

**So here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>"<strong>**You wanted to see us?" Nathan spoke nervously as he and Haley reluctantly entered Mike's office to find him sitting at his desk with an incandescent smile. **

"Is everything okay?" Haley questioned, fidgeting from the doorway.

Mike stood up, grabbing his laptop and turned the screen to face them. "You guys are unbelievable-" He feigned sternness, only for it to end with a loud laugh. "It's only a week into filming and the buzz about the movie is skyrocketing! A photo of you on set leaked, and now my twitter is blowing up with how you look 'perfect' together. Seriously, people are eating this right up!" He explained with a giddy tone.

Blushing, Haley looked up at Nathan who wore a satisfied smirk. "So what does this mean?" She asked.

"It means people are excited about seeing the movie!" Mike chered. "I told you that you guys looked good together-"

The heat in Haley's cheeks intensified.

"And this happened all from one photo?" Nathan questioned for clarification.

Mike nodded, pointing to the small photo of Nathan and Haley who were about to share an on-screen kiss. "I've never witnessed a reaction that intense from something like this. It's huge-"

"Well, that's good? Right?"

Grinning, Mike nodded. "Yes, but there's also a downside-"

With that notion, Haley's eyes widened. "What do you mean?" She panicked.

Choosing his words carefully, Mike began to pace his office. "It just means that the public is going to be paying really close attention to you guys. It's crucial that you keep your noses clean. We can _not_ have any scandals breaking loose, or it could jeopardize the entire movie."

Nathan gulped, "That's a lot of pressure-"

"I know." Mike sighed. "It's just for about six months or so. I'll I'm asking for is that you get along. You know last week rumors circulated that you didn't get along. We can't have bad press, and so you need to ham up your relationship as much as possible-"

"What?" Haley shrieked. "I can't….- we can't have a relationship publicity stunt! I'm dating Wyatt-"

"I know, but that's not what I'm asking for. You don't have to date. I just need you to act like you're friends. Be seen together a few times outside of filming. It doesn't have to be a lot, just make it believable-"

"What if people start rumors?" Nathan interrogated knowingly. The minute he was seen out with a girl, paparazzi would assume they'd be getting married the next day with a baby on the way.

"I'll take care of it." Mike spoke sophisticatedly. "Just please stay out of trouble, and try to be friends. That's I'll I'm asking for-"

Nathan and Haley shared a simple look, smiling in agreement.

"Okay. That shouldn't be too hard, right?" Nathan shrugged.

"We can do it." Haley spoke with determination.

Nathan was right… it wouldn't be too hard.

They could stay out of trouble.

Right?

* * *

><p>"You hungry? We should go and get something to eat..." Nathan questioned randomly as he and Haley were in the midst of reading their scripts at a table in Mike's office.<p>

Looking up, Haley laughed softly. "Where did that come from?"

Nathan shrugged, "Well, I'm hungry. And plus, I've been thinking about what Mike said. We should hang out. You know, work on this whole 'friendship' thing-"

"Nathan, I don't know…" Haley spoke reluctantly, not feeling particularly right about flaunting a new friendship with Nathan just for publicity.

"Come on Hales, just… I genuinely want to get to know you better. I want to try this 'friend' thing, remember? We're going to be working together for six months we may as well hang out and get to know each other." Nathan explained with a charming smile. "If you really hate it, we won't have to do it again, but it's worth a shot."

Haley smiled softly, "Alright, just promise not to get sick of me, Scott."

Nathan stood up with a large smirk, "Never, James."

* * *

><p>"That didn't happen!" Nathan bursted out laughing as he listened to Haley recall a childhood memory, sitting across from her at a small Hollywood cafe.<p>

"It did!" Haley swore with an embarrassed giggle. "I threw up all over the stage."

Nathan's stomach clenched with laugher. "I can't believe it!"

Haley let out a groan as she hid her head in her hands. "Ugh, it was the most embarrassing moment of my life."

"Aw c'mon, Hales. It's not that bad…" He attempted to reassure her as he tripped on another set of chuckles.

"It was horrible." She shook her head at the memory, now able to laugh at the situation. At the age of eight, she had been assigned a solo part for a song, and she had thrown up all over the stage with nerves. Mortification was a complete understatement as she ran off the stage in tears. Her mom had told her that she'd one day look back on it and laugh, and here she was, laughing at the story while having lunch with Nathan Scott.

Two things she never thought would ever happen. Not even in her wildest dreams.

A small smile graced her lips at the thought. Nathan wasn't as bad as she thought. She was actually having a good time…

"Well it can't be as bad as my most embarrassing moment-" Haley heard Nathan speak as he fiddled with the straw in his soda cup.

"Oh yeah?" She challenged with a quirked eyebrow. "What is it?"

Nathan glanced down at his jittering leg. "I, uh… I never told anyone this because I know it's stupid-" He said vulnerably.

Haley gave him an encouraging smile, as he felt his breath nearly hitch in his throat.

"What is it?" She asked softly.

Nathan sunk his shoulders. "I was rejected-"

"By who? One of your random sluts?" Haley called out knowingly followed by an eyeroll.

Nathan scoffed, sighing deeply, "No."

Haley frowned, "Sorry, that was uncalled for-"

Nathan folded his arms over his chest, "Know what? Nevermind…"

"No, Nathan, c'mon, tell me!" Haley begged. "I told you mine, it's only fair. I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions-"

"Fine." Nathan relented as he looked into her deep brown eyes, feeling a unfamiliar swirl which bubbled in his intestines. "But don't laugh…" He warned with narrowed eyes.

Haley's smile widened, "I promise."

Nathan filled his lungs with a deep breath of oxygen before speaking, "So in third grade, I had this huge crush on some girl named Ashley. I couldn't even talk to her without saying something completely ridiculous. Anyway, we had a Valentine's day party in school and I begged my mom to take me to the store. I wanted to buy her flowers and candy and stuff…" He chuckled awkwardly as he brought his hand up to the back of his neck, scratching lightly.

"So when I got to the class I had a huge smile on my face, carrying a huge bouquet of roses, a teddy bear, and some chocolate heart thing. I walked confidently up to her desk-"

"Did you smirk at her?" Haley questioned with a giddy smile.

Nathan's lips twisted into the said smirk, "You know it."

Haley playfully rolled her eyes as she sipped on her water, listening to the rest of the story.

"But apparently it didn't work." He sighed. "When I got up to her she was with all her friends and I asked her if she wanted to be my valentine and she and her friends laughed at me...I had never been more nervous in my life. Here I was, an 8 year old kid, ready to pee my pants, and ask a girl I liked to be my valentine in front of her friends, and you know what she said?"

Nathan didn't wait for Haley to respond as he continued to recount the memory. "She said no and that I was a loser..."

Haley could detect the sadness in his voice, and reached out to grab his palm softly. "Well, she didn't know what she was missing, then." She gave him a playful wink and smiled. "Don't let it bother you, Nathan. You've come a long way since then-"

Nathan's lips curved to a small smile. "I know, I'm long over it, trust me. It wasn't the part where she said no that bothered me, it was more of the fact that I finally put my heart on the line and I'm not really the type of guy to be vulnerable…I guess that was part of the reason why I close myself off with women-."

"Like I said, don't let that bother you. Any girl would be lucky to have you. Believe that."

Nathan felt his heart flutter at her soft spoken words. "Thanks, Haley."

It then struck him that he had shared something so personal with someone he barely even knew. Just days ago, he hated her. So he didn't understand why he suddenly felt so… connected… to her.

He never told anyone about his rejection, for he knew anyone else would laugh and say it was stupid. Nathan was shocked that revealed something so personal to someone he hated a few days ago…

He didn't know what was coming over him. Everytime he looked at Haley, those damn butterflies jumped in his stomach, all the way to his throat. He'd never acted that way around anyone before. It was all so confusing…

One thing was for sure, despite his unknown feelings towards her at the moment, he couldn't deny how gorgeous Haley James was.

He smiled when he digested her appearance. Her honey blonde hair was flowed freely past her shoulders. She wore a simple pink top, paired with form fitting skinny jeans, and damn did she look good.

Nathan normally called women hot, or sexy, but Haley James was both those terms and so much more. He almost spit out his drink when those thoughts scattered through his mind. He couldn't tear his eyes away from her beautiful, fragile, perfect face.

"What?" Haley asked, beginning to feel self conscious as she felt Nathan's intense gaze on her face.

"N-nothing." Nathan stuttered, he too, beginning to feel self conscious. He hated the way he wasn't in control of his thoughts. When the hell did he feel nervous around a girl? He was Nathan Scott for damn sake. He hated the way Haley was making him feel.

"Is there something on my face?" She blushed, causing Nathan to inwardly growl at her sexy innocence.

"No." Nathan grinned, "Your face is perfectly fine."

Her cheeks flamed to a crimson color, wanting to splash water on her skin to cool the fire.

"Although, you've got a little…" Nathan began with a laugh.

"What?" Haley asked with a paranoid look reflecting in her eyes, bringing her hand over her face.

"Your face is a little red, Hales." Nathan pointed out with a wide grin.

Haley groaned. She hated how easily she could blush. Somehow she felt herself blushing a lot whenever she was around him…

_No, Haley, you have Wyatt. Wyatt makes you blush. Not Nathan. Nathan's just being his normal, charming, self, and you can't help but blush-_

She inwardly thought to herself.

"Stop it." She shrieked as she playfully reached across the table to hit him in the shoulder.

Nathan feigned hurt. "Damn, James, you've got an arm!" He pointed out as he brought his left hand up to his right shoulder to rub the soreness.

Haley smirked triumphantly, "You know it, Scott."

Before either of them could continue their playful banter, the elderly waitress approached them with a sweet smile, asking them what they'd like to have.

"I'll have the mac 'n' cheese, please-" Haley smiled excitedly as she handed the waitress her menu.

Nathan's head turned to face Haley and grinned. "Mac 'n' Cheese? Really, Hales?"

"What?" She laughed incredulously. "Macaroni and Cheese is food of the gods-"

"Yeah, if the Gods are five year olds-" He teased playfully.

"Don't make me hit you, again." She warned, peeling her eyes at him.

Nathan simply laughed before turning back to the waitress and ordering a burger with fries.

In less than fifteen minutes, their food was served and now Nathan and Haley were enjoying their meals with a friendly conversation flowing between them.

Nathan had to admit to himself that he was actually enjoying himself. He never would have expected enjoying company with Haley James, but he was glad that he got the chance. His previous thoughts about her were incredibly wrong.

She was kind, understanding, strong, smart… the list could go on and on.

As if reading his mind, Haley finished her meal and smiled. "I'm really glad we got to hang out. You're not as bad as I thought you were…"

Nathan chuckled as he reached across the table for the bill. "You're not as bad as I thought either, James."

She rolled her eyes with a laugh then attempted to reach for the bill, "Nathan, here, let me pay for my meal-"

"No, I got it. Don't worry about it-"

"Nathan-" Haley sighed. "You don't have to do that-"

"I want to." He said simply, pulling out his credit card.

"Thank you." She gave him a sweet smile before standing up and gathering her belongings. "Well, I better get going...

Nathan soon followed suit and quickly threw his jacket on. "Yeah, so I guess I'll see you tomorrow, right?"

Haley nodded, "Yep, seven am sharp. Don't be late, mister!"

Nathan laughed, "Okay. I'll try not to."

Haley smiled and leaned in for a quick hug, "Thanks again."

"You're welcome. I had fun." Nathan whispered as he reveled in the feel of her hug.

Haley felt her heart nearly burst when the smell of his intoxicating cologne invigorated her nostrils. She knew she had to get out of there quickly, before she did something she regretted.

"I'm glad we could be friends." She spoke, pulling away from the hug, clearly enunciating the word _friends_. She wasn't stupid. She knew Nathan was flirting with her at lunch, and she had to nip it in the bud before he tried anything.

Now that Nathan and her were friends, he needed to know that was all they were ever going to be. Not that he would ever actually fall for her, she thought.

Nathan was just a flirt. It was natural. She wasn't going to fall for it though, she couldn't.

They hugged one last time, saying their goodbyes, and departing from each other, unknown of the photographer who outside taking pictures of them the entire time...

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks for reading! I hope this wasn't too rushed but I want to keep this story on the shorter side and felt like this was a good time. Please let me know if you have suggestions. Thanks..<strong>

**Next chapter, Wyatt will make another appearance, and Haley will continue to be in denial about Nathan, while Nathan starts to come to terms with his feelings :) Can't wait! **


	6. Chapter 6

**Thanks for all the reviews. I'm glad you're liking the story. **

**A lot is about to happen...**

**(For those of you who read Story of Us, I hope to have the next chapter posted by Tuesday)! **

**Enjoy...**

* * *

><p>"What the hell is this?" Wyatt fumed as he bombarded himself through Haley's front door, flailing his arms aimlessly through the air, waving around what Haley presumed to be a magazine.<p>

"Hi, honey. Nice to see you, too." She mumbled sarcastically as she closed the door once he was inside.

"Answer the question Haley! What is this?" Wyatt shouted angrily as he pointed furiously to a picture of her and Nathan hugging after their time at the cafe last week which was now printed in some sleazy magazine.

Haley rolled her eyes as she grabbed the magazine from Wyatt's hands and quickly read the caption below the picture.

"_Hollywood stars, Haley James and Nathan Scott were seen on Friday, October 17, at Port City Java, sharing a quick lunch while laughing and engaging in a flirty banter. 'They looked really comfortable with each other. Like they've been friends for years.' An eyewitness says. 'Their chemistry is extremely palpable; I could tell when they hugged. I wouldn't be surprised if they became a couple.' _

_James and Scott play romantic interests in Mike Swan's newest movie. Will on screen romance turn these once hateful attitudes into a real life love? Stay tuned, and let us know what you think on our website-"_

"You can not be serious!" Haley huffed as she threw the magazine across the room, landing on her coffee table, upside down. "You know those magazines are a bunch of lies!"

"I thought you hated him Haley! Now you're having lunch dates?" Wyatt accused, glarng icily into her hurt brown eyes. "Hate to break it to you, _honey_, but pictures don't lie!"

Haley scoffed incredulously. "You're unbelievable!"

"Me?" Wyatt refuted with bubbling anger. "You're the one lying to my damn face!"

Squeezing her eyes shut in attempt to calm her rising anger, Haley took a deep breath through her nose. "It wasn't a date! We work together, for God's sake!"

"What happened to hating him, huh?" Wyatt continued to shout.

Rolling her eyes once again, Haley crossed her arms over her chest with defiance. "Mike said we needed to try and be friends and he suggested that we go and grab lunch to get to know eachother better. That's all it was-"

Wyatt's jaw ticked in time with the passing seconds as tension swallowed the thick air. "Are you into him?"

It was Haley turn to throw her hands into the air with disgust. "Do you even hear yourself right now? No, I'm not freaking into him! We're just friends-"

"The rest of the world doesn't seem to believe so-" Wyatt mumbled bitterly. "I don't like the idea of you being friends!"

"What is your problem?" Haley shrieked. "I've worked with other actors before, and you know the press makes things up! Why are you acting like this?"  
>"It's Nathan Scott, Haley!" Wyatt's voice spoke a little quieter this time, albeit still royally pissed off. "He just smirks at girls and their patnies drop! So sorry for being paranoid-"<p>

Haley rolled her eyes again, "I'm not going to cheat on you if that's what you're thinking, Wyatt. You know I love you-"

Wyatt's shoulders slumped softly. "I know." He sighed dejectedly. "I love you too, I just… I can't help but get jealous when I see things like that. I feel like I hardly see you, and now you're going to be spending a lot of time with Hollywood's most eligible bachelor, kissing him and whatever. I'm just afraid you'll fall for him-"

Haley stepped closer to Wyatt and placed a soothing hand on this tense jaw. "You have to trust me, okay? I already told you, Nathan and I are just friends. That's all we're ever going to be. Besides, he knows about us, and I know he wouldn't try anything. He's not even into me-" Haley rambled, attempting to convince herself almost as much as she tried to quell Wyatt's concerns.

"That's what you think." Wyatt muttered. "You're beautiful, Haley, and he's not blind."

Haley smiled softly, "I wouldn't worry about it, Wyatt. Last I heard he was seeing a model, and you know him and I could never make it as a couple." She laughed at the absurd idea.

Her and Nathan. Dating, Yeah, right...

She was still surprised they could even be friends, but she was sure they'd begin fighting again soon. It was only a matter of time. She was sure of it.

Wyatt grinned, "You're right. You'd never be dumb enough to fall for his bullshit. I'm sorry I freaked out."

Haley rested her head on his shoulder and faked another smile. "It's okay." She mumbled before pulling away from his tight embrace and checked the time.

"Shoot, I'd love it if you could stay and hang out but I'm actually late for filming-" She explained with a sideways frown.

Wyatt huffed a short breath, "Right, okay, I guess I'll see you later then."

Haley gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and smiled appreciatively. "Thanks, sorry,bye!"

"Love you, too." Wyatt called out sarcastically as she slammed the door behind them when he followed her out. He stood rooted to the doorstep watching as she sped off down the street.

He then mumbled quietly to himself.

"I liked it better when she hated Nathan."

* * *

><p>"Brooke Davis, long time no speak." Haley answered her ringing phone with a happy tone as she was in the middle of getting her hair and make up done.<p>

Brooke laughed, "Touche, Haley James. What's up?"

"Not much, just getting ready to go film. How about you?"

"Just working on a few sketches. How's filming going by the way?"

Haley sighed, "So far so good."

"So how's Nathan?"

Haley looked in the mirror at her reflection and sighed, "What about him?"

"Are you still in denial about having sexual tension-?"

"Brooke!" Haley admonished. "We don't… I mean-"

"Still in denial, I see." Brooke interrupted with a slight groan.

"Brooke, we're just friends-" Haley protested.

"Friends my ass!" Brooke scoffed. "I saw the pictures of you in People Magazine. Since when did you become friends with him, and why didn't you tell me?"

"It's not like I had a damn choice." Haley argued. "Our director suggested it, and we needed publicity-"

"So you still hate him?"

"Well, no, but-"

"So you're friends?" Brooke continued her interrogation.

"Yeah, but-"

A loud shriek shrilled through the phone line, to the point where Haley had to bring the phone away from her ear.

"Ow! Jesus. Brooke! I hate it when you do that-"

"I'm sorry, I'm just so excited!-"

Haley sighed deeply as she felt a headache approaching. "Brooke, just quit while you're ahead, okay? I don't like Nathan like that. We're just friends. That's it."

"Pictures don't lie Hales-"

"Oh my god, not you too…" Haley mumbled into the speaker.

"What?" Brooke questioned.

Another breath escaped from Haley's throat. "Nothing, it's just, Wyatt and I kind of got into a fight about my friendship with Nathan. He saw the pictures, too-"

"Wow, I'm sorry Hales. I guess he must feel threatened-"

"Well he shouldn't!" Haley nearly shouted. "I don't like Nathan! We're just friends!" Her voice grew even louder with each word that passed from her lips.

"God, okay, I get it! I'm sorry-" Brooke rushed out.

Haley threw her head back and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell, I'm just… I don't even know…"

"It's okay Hales. We should meet up soon. We need a girls night."

Haley smiled, "Definitely! I'll text you later, okay? I have to go now." She said as one of the crew members motioned with her hands that they were beginning to start.

"Okay, bye Haley! Good luck…"

"Thanks." Haley spoke.

'_I'll need it.'_ She thought inwardly.

* * *

><p>"Cut!" Mike called out for the twelfth time that day. "Haley, what's going on? Is everything okay?"<p>

Haley sighed tiredly as gave an apologetic smile directed to the cast and crew. "I'm sorry guys, I guess my heart just isn't in it today."

How was she supposed to get through filming a happy love scene with Nathan when she kept replaying her fight with Wyatt?

Though they seemed to leave off on a good note, Haley still felt unnerved by Wyatt's jealous words. Even Brooke's words kept echoing through her mind. Why did everyone think her and Nathan were meant to be a couple? Why couldn't people just understand that they were friends?

To make it worse, Nathan kept giving her these looks which made her stomach flutter and her heart pound sporadically through the thickest walls of her chest.

She knew it was probably all just part of his extraordinary acting skills, but she hated herself for being effected it by it. She was always able to switch off her feelings when filming, but some how when she was acting with Nathan, her body had mistaken his acting for real life. She kept telling herself that a jittery stomach and rosy blush was perfectly normal when someone kissed her.

She just wished she could stop it. Luckily, Mike and Nathan just figured those reactions were all part of her acting ability, but truthfully it was completely involuntary.

You can't fake something like that.

Something.

The word was vague yet seemingly endless.

Haley almost laughed at the irony.

She didn't know what this 'something' was but it was beginning to freak her out.

She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't even realize Nathan was talking to her.

"Hey, is everything okay?" He asked softly, his eyes still boring into hers.

Her breath nearly hitched in her throat when she noticed the depth of his crystal blue eyes.

"I'm fine!" She snapped unknowingly. "I just wish everybody would leave me the hell alone!"

Nathan was clearly taken back by her tone. "Hales-"

"Don't call me that!" She shrieked. She knew she was making a scene but she didn't care. The only way for things so feel normal was if she and Nathan fought, and right now she would do anything to feel a sense of normality.

Nathan's eyes widened, "I'm sorry… I didn't mean-"

"Whatever." Haley spat bitterly as she stormed off the set and found her dressing room where she then collapsed against the couch with a giant sigh.

Minutes of dreadful silence passed, until Haley heard a loud knock on her trailer door.

"Go away!" She shouted.

"I won't stop banging on this door until you open it!" She heard the deep voice speak.

Sighing with annoyance, Haley reluctantly got up and pulled open the door to find Nathan standing there with a look of worry etched over his face.

"Look, Haley, I'm sorry if I did something wrong. I'm new at this whole friendship thing so sometimes I might not really know what to do, but if I did something to make you upset please tell me. I hate seeing you like this-" He rambled in front of Haley.

"Nathan, it's not your fault. You didn't do anything wrong. I'm sorry for snapping at you. I'm just having a bad day." She explained simply.

"That time of month?" Nathan joked, only to regret it a second later when Haley punched him in the arm, followed by an evil glare.

"Shut up." She laughed good naturedly.

Nathan smirked, loving the sound of her girly giggle. His ears immediately perked up, as his smile grew. "I got you to laugh, so I'm not sorry."

Haley smiled softly as she moved out of the way so he could come into her trailer. She began feeling bad for taking her problems out on him. He was just an easy scapegoat considering he was the root of her confused emotions.

"So what's really going on?" He asked, turning towards her when he noticed her normal light behind her eyes seemed to be duller today.

Haley subconsciously wrapped her arms around her body. "How do you know something's wrong?"

"Because you've got that look!" Nathan pointed out.

"What look?" Haley questioned with bewilderment.

"The look that says you're hiding something."

Haley's eyes peeled while looking at him. "You shouldn't know that look yet."

"I'm good at reading people." Nathan shrugged. The truth was, for the past few weeks, he had been watching Haley unintentionally. He couldn't help it. His eyes became glued to her. She was simply mesmerizing. Everything she did, he found himself practically drooling over. He couldn't stop no matter how much he knew he had to. He knew she'd never fall for him, but still, he couldn't help but lust over her.

Yesterday on set, she dropped something, and bent down to pick it up, and he swore he nearly swallowed his tongue. He was so lucky no one caught him checking out her ass.

Then, last week, someone was talking to him but had no idea what they said because he was too busy looking across the room watching as Haley laughed to something Mike told her. He smiled at the thought.

He also learned that her eyebrows furrowed when she was in deep thought, and sometimes if she was writing something down, or even reading the script, her tongue would stick out. She was seriously adorable.

Something he also noticed was that in between takes, she'd hum softly to herself. Sometimes he'd know the song, but most of the times he didn't. he didn't care, he just knew he was entranced whenever she hummed or sung. As each day passed, he found himself learning something new about her, and he wouldn't be able to stop thinking about her.

Last night he went to a bar and had a chance with three very fine women, but before things could get serious, he stopped. He realized that those girls would never be Haley. He found himself sick of the playboy lifestyle, and so he went home alone, only to lie in bed all night, as his heart ached for Haley James.

Haley sighed, pulling Nathan from his daydream.

"I just… Wyatt and I got into a fight today."

The selfish part of Nathan wanted to scream with joy. He hated Wyatt. Haley deserved better. Wyatt was a pompous asshole who didn't know how good he had it, not to mention he was a complete loser.

But, Nathan's sympathetic side (which he didn't even know he had until recently), won the battle as he stepped closer to Haley's small frame and frowned.

"I'm sorry." He spoke softly. "What happened?"

Haley bit gently on her lip, which Nathan then learned that it meant she was feeling vulnerable, and/or hiding something. "It's nothing. It's stupid…"

"It's obviously not stupid if it's bothering you. What is it, Haley?"

Haley's gaze fell to the floor as she cleared the lump from her throat. "He doesn't like that we're friends."

Nathan's fists clenched tightly to his sides. Who did this prick think he was telling Haley who she could or couldn't be friends with?

"What?" He asked, his voice cracking at the end.

He finally thought things with Haley were on a positive note. This week they got a lot of filming done, they'd text a few times a day, and they'd hang out a lot in between takes. He really was beginning to value their friendship, and it would nearly kill him if she ended it.

He didn't want to go back to the way they were when they first met. In fact, he hated himself for ever treating her so poorly.

"I guess he saw our picture in some magazine and got mad.." She clarified as she ran her hand through her wavy hair. "I don't know, but I told him that we work together and we're friends. He's going to have to deal with it."

Nathan couldn't help but smile. "Haley, if I cause a problem between you guys, we don't have to be friends anymore… I get it if you want to stop hanging out-"

"No!" She interrupted hastily, "I mean, I don't want to end our friendship. I'm glad we're friends, Nathan. We've come a long way, and I enjoy working with you. Wyatt will be fine-"

"Are you sure, because-"

"It's fine." Haley promised as she placed her hand on his tricep. "I promise."

Nathan looked down at her small hand and smiled. "Okay, good. I'm glad we're friends too."

Haley's smile widened contently. "I'm sorry for acting like a bitch before-"

"It's okay." Nathan chuckled. "I'm used to it."

"Shut up!" Haley laughed, punching him in the arm again.

"Ouch." Nathan pouted. "I forgot how hard you can hit."

"I may be tiny, but I'm mighty." Haley scrunched her nose playfully as she pretended to flex as Nathan rolled his eyes.

"Puh-lease." He scoffed, bringing his bicep up in the air, and flexing it as it nearly tripled in size. "This is real muscle."

Haley's eyes widened almost as large as saucers.

Holy. Shit.

She had never seen a bicep that freaking big before her in her entire life, and she couldn't deny that it was incredibly sexy.

Her face was burning with a fire. It was as if the room spiked 100 degrees.

"Like what you see?" He smirked at her reaction.

Haley forced her eyes from his arm and cleared her throat. "It's whatever." She shrugged.

Nathan chuckled, knowing she was trying to downplay her reaction.

"So I promised I'd take Sophia to get some ice cream. Would you like to join us?" He asked with a tantalizing smirk.

"Oh, no, I really shouldn't-" Haley answered with reluctance.

Nathan playfully rolled his eyes. "You really should. Now, come on!" He pleaded as he grabbed her hand gently and pulled her out of the trailer in order to find Sophia.

* * *

><p>"I'll have chawk-lawte. Please." Sophia spoke to the cashier as she leaned on her tippy toes with a dimpled smile.<p>

Nathan looked down and laughed, "Make that two, 'chawk-lawtes.'" He mimicked her small voice, then turned to Haley who was also giggling. "What would you like, Haley?"

"Uhmm, I'll have Mint Chocolate Chip, please."

"Okay." Nathan grinned. "And one Mint Chocolate Chip." He ordered with a grin, as he handed the cashier the money in exchange for the three ice cream cones.

"Thanks, Nathan! You're the best!" Sophia squealed as she immediately attacked her ice cream cone, decorating her face with the chocolatey treat.

Haley laughed as she bent down and rubbed the small girls face with a napkin. "You're silly, Soph!"

Sophia giggled, as Nathan watched with a warm smile. A month ago, if someone told him he'd be hanging out with Haley James, and a four year old, he would've laughed in their face, but now it felt like the most natural thing in the world.

"Here's your ice cream." Nathan smiled as he handed it to Haley.

"Thanks Nathan. You're the best." She mimicked Sophia's words with a playful smile.

Nathan laughed as he walked them over to the same table he and Haley practiced their lines at on the docks a few weeks ago.

She instantly remembered and laughed. "This place is even prettier at night!" She admonished.

Nathan's eyes stayed trained on her form. "I know."

Before anyone was able to speak, Nathan and Haley heard a shrill shriek as a blonde teenager ran over to them.

"Oh my god! You're Nathan Scott and Haley James! You guys are so cute together-"

"Oh, we're not… I mean… we're not dating-" Haley immediately clarified. "We're just friends."

The blonde didn't seem to even care. "Can I get a picture with you guys? I'm so excited to see your new movie!"

"Sure." Nathan agreed with a cheshire smile. "And thanks. It's going to be great." He spoke with a smirk directed to Haley, as he wrapped his arm around her and the teenager who handed her phone to her mom and was eagerly snapping pictures.

Haley smiled at the camera, inwardly praying that the girl wouldn't start anymore rumors…

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks for reading! Hope you liked it <strong>


	7. Chapter 7

"Are you sure about this?" Nathan whispered sensually into Haley's ear as she tugged at the bottom of his t-shirt, begging for its removal.

After pressing a long, steamy kiss against his soft lips, Haley looked deeply into Nathan's blue eyes and watched as the once light shade of blue darkened into the depths of the black night.

"I've never been more sure of anything in my entire life." She breathed with a seductive smile. "Now kiss me…"

Nathan chuckled, letting his hands wander further down her curvaceous body. "You're so damn beautiful." He spoke as his hot breath blew onto her puckered lips.

Haley could not suppress the moan that echoed from her throat when Nathan's hand cupped her backside. She immediately ran her fingers through his raven black hair, causing Nathan to pull her flush up against his hard chest.

Their lips finally collided in a heated kiss, their tongues combating in a passionate duel.

Ever so slowly, Nathan picked Haley off of the ground and her legs wrapped around his lower waist, never once breaking from the kiss.

Thunder cracked through the atmosphere above when drops of rain pounded the glass on the windows. Nathan then gently placed Haley on top of her bed as she ran a hand through her light brown curls, watching zealously as Nathan peeled the tight t-shirt from his body, finally revealing his perfectly sculpted abs.

"Whoa." Haley squeaked unknowingly.

Nathan smirked having heard her reaction, then lowered himself back on top of her where Haley immediately rubbed her delicate fingers on his naked chest.

Nathan soon attached his lips onto Haley's neck, causing another moan to tear from her mouth.

"God, baby…" She breathed feeling as her body temperature rose as quickly as the raindrops were falling from the sky. She knew she shouldn't be feeling this way, but she couldn't help it. The way Nathan's mouth had devoured hers was unbelievably erotic, and no one- not even Wyatt- had ever kissed her like that.

The tiny hairs which peppered her body erected vertically, while her stomach twisted with anticipation.

Nathan on the other hand, tried his best to calm down, but was failing miserably. His tongue subconsciously ran over his lips when his eyes devoured Haley's beautiful body.

He had to use every ounce of willpower not to bend over and take her right there. Their eyes collided with longing gazes, neither wanting to look away.

Nathan was straddling Haley who was lying on her back writing underneath his strong body. She then took him by surprise when she sat up slightly pulling her shirt over her head, revealing her creamy skin and black laced bra.

Nathan's eyes were drowning in the sight as his throat flamed with aridness. He knew she was beautiful, but his eyes had never seen a sight so magnificent in his entire life; it was as if he was a blind man seeing light for the first time.

Taking another deep breath to calm his erratic heartbeat, Nathan felt Haley's arms wind around his neck to pull his face down to hers.

"I want you." She whispered fiercely.

"What about-?"

Haley silenced him with another kiss. "It's okay. Nothing matters but you."

Nathan smiled against her lips, as he brought his hands down to her jeans and slowly pushed them down her legs to reveal her matching black lace panties.

"You are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen." Nathan breathed as he took in the sight of her; and he meant it. Haley James was a rare gem, and no one could ever compete.

Haley's skin ignited to a raging fire under the intense warmth of his sunny eyes. How could something so wrong feel so damn right?

She squeezed her eyes shut to gain a sense of reality, yet her eyes deceived her when they popped open seconds later when Nathan pressed warm, gentle kisses along her flat, naked stomach.

She nearly burst at the indescribable feelings which stirred inside her.

This should be awkward. This should be illegal. This should be everything that it wasn't.

Nathan was on the verge of exploding as he watched the emotions play over Haley's face. He could tell she was having an inward battle with herself, and leaned up once again to place a reassuring kiss on her lips. "Are you okay?" He whispered.

Haley looked up into his twinkling eyes and smiled, "I'm perfect."

Nathan grinned then hastily discarded his shorts revealing his navy blue plaid boxers which soon tented in the front.

Nathan Scott was never one to blush, but now here he was with a raging erection in front of Haley James. He tried so hard to stay calm, but once again his efforts were futile. He just hoped she'd understand…

He then rolled to the side in attempt to cover himself, but continued to kiss her neck.

Haley's teeth dug into her lower lip when her eyes caught a glimpse of his lower anatomy. She inwardly cursed herself when her own body betrayed her by the ache between her legs. This wasn't supposed to happen.

Why was this happening?

How did this happen?  
>Haley's breath shook, then brought her hands behind Nathan's head guiding his lips back to her own, once again making out for what felt like forever.<p>

For the slightest second, Haley became worried that she and Nathan were so involved in their kiss that maybe they didn't hear Mike call cut, until a minute later a loud buzz sounded signaling the end of the scene.

"Cut!" Mike finally shouted as the rest of the crew began to clap loudly. "That was amazing, you guys! Great job."

Haley immediately scurried out of the bed and stood up, throwing on a robe that one of the crew members handed her.

This was the first time she ever had to film a 'sex' scene, and be filmed in her underwear. At first, the idea completely overwhelmed her, but thankfully Nathan calmed her fears. In fact, she nearly forgot she was even filming the scene…

Haley figured it would have been awkward, but looking back, it wasn't at all. She was never the type of girl who willingly exposed herself, considering how private of a person she was. However, her love for the movie could not deter her even after she found out about filming the sex scene. It's not like they actually would have sex, and plus, it wasn't like she actually had to get naked on camera. Nathan was a total gentleman about it, and in between the last two takes, he'd make jokes which would lighten the tense atmosphere. He was a real natural…

Though it wasn't awkward while filming, the awkward tension which lingered after the scene finished, was hard to ignore.

Nathan sat at the edge of the bed and chugged a bottle of water as he placed his shorts back on his body. Haley could barely bring her eyes to meet his, and she didn't know why.

Once the rest of the crew dispersed, Nathan approached Haley who was about to go back to her trailer.

"Haley!" Nathan called out as he gently grabbed her wrist, stopping her from walking away. "You did great today." He smiled, and Haley blushed as her own smile spread over her lips.

"Thanks Nathan, so did you."

Nathan cleared his throat as he brought his hand up to his neck which he rubbed nervously, "Uhm, I just wanted to apologize for uh… getting excited during the scene… I really hope it didn't make you uncomfortable. I'm usually better at controlling myself, I don't know what happened-" He stammered.

'_Neither do I'_ Haley thought to herself as a blush painted her cheeks. "It's okay, I understand. You don't have to apologize." She spoke softly. "It's just natural, right?"

Nathan gulped, "Right, yeah. Um, I just hope you're not upset-"

Haley laughed despite her nerves, "It's fine, really. Don't worry about it."

"Thanks." He smiled with relief, "Can you maybe not tell Wyatt about it? I just don't want him getting upset…"

"Okay, I won't tell him." Haley promised. "I'm sure it happens all the time, though. Don't beat yourself up over it, okay? It's just a job, it's not like it means anything."

Nathan scratched his neck as his stomach twisted into a tight knot. "Right." He mumbled under his breath. The guilt was eating him alive.

He knew Haley was taken, but during the scene all he could do was wish that it was real life. He wanted her, and more than in a sexual way.

It had been nearly five months into filming, and Nathan could no longer deny his feelings for Haley James.

In fact, for the past five months, Nathan hadn't been with a single girl. The last girl he had been with was the model he had brought to Mike's cast party, and even then he hadn't even slept with her.

All he could think about was Haley James.

He felt bad thinking about another man's girlfriend, but he couldn't help it.

Haley James was everything a man could ever want in a woman.

Nathan didn't understand how he could go from absolutely hating someone to completely falling for them in a matter of five months…

She had proved him wrong, and he was glad for that.

Getting to know Haley was an exciting journey for Nathan. He learned things that no one else knew.

To the average person, she seemed like she was perfect.

But she wasn't, and she knew she wasn't. She made mistakes, she was vulnerable, and she didn't always know what she wanted in life.

She may not have been perfect, but to Nathan Scott she was.

He originally hated her for acting perfect, but the truth was, she wasn't perfect, and she knew she wasn't, which was refreshing for Nathan.

He was so used to women trying to cultivate 'perfection', but that word was obsolete. There was no such thing as perfect…

Unless you were Haley James.

Nathan sighed at the thought. He was such a goner, and he couldn't do anything about it.

She was in love with someone else.

"Is everything okay?" Haley asked him gently, sensing his sudden apprehension.

"Yeah." He gave her a fake smile, hoping she wouldn't see through it, but of course she did.

"Are you sure? Because we can always go back to my trailer and talk if you want…"

Nathan smiled genuinely this time. She was so selfless, and helpful, but he couldn't talk to her. He loved their talks, but this time she couldn't help him. What was he supposed to say? That he was falling for her, and she wasn't?

He knew he had to get over her, and if he went back to her trailer, that wouldn't help him- it would only hurt him.

"That's okay. I actually have plans with someone tonight-"

"A date?" Haley asked slightly bitterly.

Nathan chuckled, "No. Definitely not. I'm hanging out with my agent, slash best friend, Clay Evans."

"Oh." Haley suddenly felt extremely embarrassed and had no idea why she acted like a jealous girlfriend. She was two seconds away from slapping herself. She concluded she must be falling ill due to her outrageous behavior today. "Well, have fun!" She smiled as she leaned in for a quick hug.

"Thanks, Hales." Nathan grinned, "So what about you? Do you have anything planned tonight?" He asked, hoping that her plans did not involve Wyatt.

"Actually, as a matter of fact, I do. I'm having a girls night with my friend Brooke." Haley revealed.

Nathan's lips slanted sideways, "That sounds… fun?"

A short giggle tore from Haley's lips, "You know it."

* * *

><p>"This is so <em>not<em> fun." Haley groaned as Brooke continued to read tweets about how cute she and Nathan were. Not only was she reading tweets sent by crazy fangirls, but she was also flipping through magazines, practically analyzing every square inch of Nathan and Haley in pictures from set.

"Oh, listen to this one!" Brooke squealed, holding her cell phone close to her face as she fell back against Haley's leather couch. "'I totally call 'Naley' will be a thing a year from now, and I can not wait. #RelationshipGoals.' See? I'm not the only person who thinks you and Nathan would be such a cute couple! And I mean seriously, 'Naley' is the most perfect couple name!"

Haley rolled her eyes and took a long swig of her wine; she was going to need another bottle if she was planning on getting through the night with Brooke Davis.

"Brooke, you're incorrigible!"

"And you're still in denial! I mean really, when are you going to realize you and Nathan should be together?" Brooke retorted.

"Just because we work together, does not mean we belong together!" Haley argued, "I don't know where you even got this crazy idea!"

"Well clearly I'm not the only one who thinks it." Brooke pointed out, continuing to scroll through the various hashtags involving Nathan and Haley.

"You've never even seen Nathan and I together, how the hell do you know we'd be cute together?" Haley asked with a small laugh.

"Because you're both hot. Duh." Brooke pointed out as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Plus, these pictures of you from set are adorable! Look at the way he's looking at you in this-"

"We're actors Brooke. It's not real-"

"-Oh, and don't even get me started on the sexual tension that you two have! I bet he's great in bed!" The raspy voice brunette enthused.

"Brooke!" Haley shrieked before gulping down another long sip of wine.

Brooke looked back up at her and smiled devilishly. "What?"

"You're crazy."

Brooke's eyes squinted ever so slightly, staring intently at Haley who began to blush under her friend's scrutiny. "Why are you looking at me like that?" Haley asked shyly.

"You're not telling me something. What are you hiding, James?"

"I'm not hiding anything!" Haley defended. "I swear."

Brooke's questioning gaze further investigated her best friend. "Hales, I know you, and you're not telling me something."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Haley denied.

"You're attracted to him, aren't you?" Brooke accused with a knowing smirk.

Haley's eyes widened, "What? Where did that come from?"

"Answer the question Haley! You are so hot for Nathan Scott!" Brooke squealed.

Another blush exploded on Haley's creamy skin. "So what if I find him attractive? A lot of guys are attractive."

"I knew it!" Brooke jumped up from the couch with victory.

"God, calm down! It's not like I like him-" Haley fussed.

Brooke's excitement dissipated slightly, "Why not?"

"Are you forgetting I have a boyfriend named Wyatt, who I love?" Haley stated obviously.

"So if Wyatt wasn't in the picture, does that mean you would like Nathan?" Brooke interrogated.

After another sip of wine, Haley groaned. "It doesn't matter, Brooke. Wyatt is in the picture, and I don't see him out of it for a while. I love him, and I'd never cheat on him-"

Brooke threw her hands up in the air, "You're avoiding the question. Would you ever like Nathan?"

Haley ran a hand through her wavy hair, "I don't know, Brooke. Is he attractive? Yes, but that doesn't mean I like him, or that I want him. We work together, and we're friends. We simply can't be together…"

"I just don't understand it. I mean, you guys practically kiss for a living, and if you find him attractive…"

Haley shrugged, "If things were different, maybe, but it would never work, so it's not even worth entertaining the thought. I'm sorry."

Brooke let out a sad huff as she fell back against the couch, resembling a child who didn't get their way.

"Plus, he doesn't even like me!" Haley concluded.

"How do you know?" Brooke quipped. "Maybe he does."

Haley fiddled with them hem of her shirt, "I just know he doesn't. We're friends, co-workers even."

Brooke sighed, "Isn't filming awkward? You know, like kissing and stuff?"

Haley shrugged, "Not really. Nathan's really cool about it. I like working with him."

"Does he ever get like turned on while filming?" Brooke smirked as her eyebrows arched on her forehead.

Once again, the familiar blush ignited on Haley's skin, turning her into a raging red fire. Her eyes then dropped to the empty wine glass in her hand, "Um, not usually…"

"Oh my God! He does, doesn't he?" Brooke gushed.

"I don't know! I don't pay attention to that!" Haley shrieked, covering her face with her palms.

"Is it big? Did you ever see it? I bet it's huge-!"

"BROOKE!" Haley breathed with abashment. "Do you have an off button?"

Brooke laughed, "Sorry, I'm just curious!"

"And no, I never saw 'it'." Haley muttered.

"Did you ever feel it?" Brooke smirked.

Haley rolled her eyes, "I don't know, maybe like once. It happens Brooke. It's only natural… he's a guy, afterall."

"Oh my God! He totally wants you!" She gushed, clapping her hands together feverishly.

Haley's eyes rolled in a clockwise direction, "Brooke, I already told you, it doesn't mean anything."

"Is he a good kisser?"

"Why don't you ask one of the million sluts he's slept with?" Haley spat.

Brooke grinned wickedly, "Is Haley James jealous?"

"No!" She practically screamed. "Definitely not."

"D-E-N-I-A-L. What does that spell? Denial!"

Haley grabbed a pillow which lay next to her and screamed into it then looked up and glared at her best friend.

"I'm going to kill you Brooke Davis!"

* * *

><p>"Dude, what's going on?" Clay Evans asked as Nathan practically sulked at the bar they were sitting at. "You've been acting so strange this whole night."<p>

Nathan looked up from the bottom of his whiskey glass, and sighed. "Nothing, Clay. I'm just tired."

Clay gazed into Nathan's eyes knowingly. "Bull shit, man. I know you, and something's going on. You haven't even looked for one hot chick this entire night. Now, there's either something seriously wrong or you're turning gay-"

Nathan rolled his eyes, "I'm not gay, asshole."

"Whoa, jeeze, okay." Clay defended. "Wanna talk about it?"

"I need another drink." Nathan mumbled as he called over the bartender to order another glass of Jack Daniels.

As Clay began flirting with some blonde next to him, Nathan decided to go on his phone and get his mind off of his only thought: Haley James.

She was all he ever thought about, and it was beginning to scare him. Never had he been so wrapped up in someone so much...

As he scrolled through his Instagram feed, he noticed a picture that Haley posted, and his heart nearly jumped to his throat.

She had posted a picture of her and her friend making funny faces as they both held glasses of wine, with the caption, "Talking about boys…!"

His eyes lingered on her large brown eyes, and he couldn't help but smile. She looked beautiful, as always. Then his eyes fell to the bit of cleavage that spilled out of her tank top, and his pants tightened when he remembered the way she looked in the black bra of hers today…

Damn, she was hot.

He decided to be bold and comment, in hopes that maybe, just maybe she'd see it.

"Looks like fun. Hope you're not talking badly about me ;)"

His thumb then proceeded to scroll down the feed but stopped when a picture of Haley and Wyatt holding hands strolling down the park a few days lit up over the screen. Stupid People Magazine posted it.

Why was he even following that stupid sight? He didn't want to see shit like that; and after reading the brief caption 'Haley James and long time boyfriend, Wyatt Lancaster were seen together holding hands in Sunset Park the other day', Nathan definitely unfollowed them.

A loud sigh tore from his throat as he stuffed his phone back in his pocket, unable to get the disgusting sight of Haley and her boyfriend out of his mind. Why did she have to date him?

Because life sucked; that's why.

Nathan figured it was karma for treating girls so badly all those years. The one girl he ever wanted, he couldn't have because she, of course, had to be taken…

"Hey man, what's with the sigh?" Clay asked once he was finished with the blonde.

Nathan looked up and ran a hand through his short raven black hair. "It's stupid." He mumbled.

"C'mon, Nate. I've never seen you this… sulky. What's going on?"

"Have you ever felt yourself falling for someone you know you shouldn't?" Nathan asked quietly.

Clay furrowed his eyebrows together, "Fall for someone? You must be joking, right?"

"Clay, I'm serious." Nathan grumbled. "You know what? Just forget it, I know you wouldn't help."

"I'm sorry, man." Clay soon apologized. "Is that what you're upset about? A girl?"

Nathan could barely suppress the smile threatening his lips when he thought of Haley. "Yeah."

Clay smirked sensing Nathan's giddiness. "Who's the lucky chick who turned Nathan Scott soft?"

"I'm not soft." Nathan mumbled.

Clay laughed, "She must be special if you're acting so depressed. What happened?"

"I don't even know. It's like, one day I hated her, and now… I can't stop thinking about her. I've never felt this way before, Clay. She's just… she's amazing. She has such an amazing heart. Not to mention that she's easily the most beautiful girl I've ever seen, and has the best personality. She's smart, funny, caring-"

Clay's eyes widened, "Wow, Nate, that's great! I've never seen you so hung up on a chick before!"

"Yeah, well, she has a boyfriend, so, it doesn't even matter." He mumbled again after chugging back the hard liquor.

"That sucks, man. I'm sorry."

Nathan ran his left hand over his tired face, "Yeah, I know. Tell me about it."

"What are you gonna do?"

"I don't know." Nathan slumped into the stool he was sitting on. "I can't get over her no matter how hard I try. It's so bad that I'm not even interested in anyone else…"

"Wow, she's got you hooked, huh?" Clay grinned.

"Yeah, she does." Nathan sighed.

"Are you gonna tell her?"

Nathan looked up and remained silent. "I don't know." He finally spoke. "How do you tell someone you like them when they're with someone else?"

* * *

><p><strong>I'm really happy with the way this chapter went, and I hope you agree :) <strong>

**I had fun writing it, haha.**

**Thanks for reading! **


	8. Chapter 8

A small sigh escaped Haley's lips when her reflection stared back at her as she slid her earrings through their allotted holes in her ears.

Today was her first official interview with Nathan on Ellen to talk about the movie. She, as well as the rest of the cast and crew, were shocked at how much revenue the movie had already produced, considering they weren't even done filming yet.

Then again, the good publicity was definitely welcomed.

"Knock, knock." Haley heard a familiar voice speak which caused her to turn in her seat and smile when she noticed Wyatt standing in front of her dressing room door.

"Wyatt!" She beamed, and got up from her chair to greet him. "What are you doing here?"

Wyatt immediately embraced Haley in a tight hug, kissing her lips quickly before smiling. "I wanted to surprise you. I've missed you so much."

Haley smiled into his chest, "I've missed you, too." And it was true. The past two weeks, Wyatt had been in New York tending to business, and Haley had hardly seen or heard from him. Long distance was never easy, but she appreciated the fact that he made surprise visits whenever he could.

"I heard you were going to be on Ellen and I knew I had to come and watch you live. There's no way I was going to watch this from a hotel room!" Wyatt spoke enthusiastically. "I'm so proud of you, sweetheart."

Haley suddenly a pang of guilt punch her in the stomach, and she didn't know why. It's been happening a lot, lately… especially on set when she and Nathan were kissing. She knew it was part of her job, so why did she feel so guilty about it? Wyatt knew and understood that she had to do it, too.

Haley was just thankful that Wyatt was here now. Maybe after she kissed him, any thoughts of Nathan would disappear from her mind. With that thought, Haley had pulled Wyatt's face down closer to hers and attached her lips onto his in order to ignite a firey kiss.

Wyatt smiled against Haley's lips as he gently placed her against the wall when her hands began to roam over his back. "I love you." She breathed, suddenly feeling compelled to say it out loud.

Wyatt's hands moved to her hips as his green eyes collided with Haley's brown eyed gaze. "I love you too, Haley."

Haley smiled, but couldn't ignore the sinking feeling in her heart. Instead, she continued her assault on his lips and let out a breathy moan when his soft tongue brushed against hers.

"Hey Hales- Oh!, S-sorry, I didn't...sorry… I'm just...-" Nathan's voice died on his lips when he walked into Haley's dressing room to find her practically having sex with her freakin' boyfriend.

It was that moment when he understood the cliche about having your heart ripped out of your chest… at least he knew what it felt like.

His heart physically ached; almost burning against the walls of his chest. A cold sweat flushed through through his veins, as his throat became cotton dry, nearly choking on the painful lump which now resided in his esophagus.

He knew he had no right to get upset. Haley wasn't even his girlfriend, but seeing her kissing someone else was actually worse than getting kicked in the balls. He would have preferred that, actually.

Nathan watched as Haley disentangled herself from Wyatt and blushed down at her feet as she straightened out her shirt. "Nathan, hi, you remember my boyfriend, Wyatt, right?"

Nathan's jaw tightened, "Of course."

Wyatt pulled Haley up against his body and smiled, "How are you, man?"

"I'm fine. How are you?" Nathan was in no mood for small talk, definitely not after what he just had to witness.

"Great," His smile widened, "I wanted to surprise Haley today. It's so cool you guys get to be on Ellen."

Nathan nodded, "Yeah, well, uh, I just wanted to let Haley know that we'll be on in ten minutes, so…"

"Okay, thanks." Haley said, shifting on her feet in the awkward tension.

Nathan tried his best to muster a smile and quickly exited the room. There was no way he was going to stick around and watch Haley and pretty boy suck face. His stomach twisted at the thought, then found his way back to his own temporary dressing room that Ellen had given him for his short visit.

Clay was sitting on the leather couch eagerly typing something on his Blackberry, but looked up when Nathan entered.

"Hey Nate, what's going on?"

Nathan sighed tiredly as he collapsed on the couch next to Clay. "I want to get my eyes bleached."

Clay slid his phone back into his pocket and laughed, "What?"

"I just walked in on Haley and her boyfriend-"

"Oh nice! Did you see her naked-"

Nathan's eyes narrowed to horizontal slits as he slapped Clay on the shoulder, "No, they were just making out, but still…"  
>"I'm sorry, man." Clay gave Nathan a reassuring tap on his back, "I know that must be tough."<p>

"I just… I don't know what to do, Clay." Nathan's voice strained, a clear indicator that he was torn about something. "I've never liked anyone this much."

Clay nodded with understanding, "I know, and it sucks that she's taken, but maybe she's just not the one."

Nathan blew out an uneasy breath, "Why does it feel like she is? I've never met anyone like her. I don't want anyone else-"

"We always want what we can't have. I bet when the movie is over, you'll forget about her. Your head and your heart are probably confused right now. Maybe you just like her character and not her…"

Nathan shook his head, "No, that's not it." Originally, that's what he thought himself but as time went on, he realized he was really falling for Haley- not her character. It was Haley who he wanted. Every time he was with her, he found himself falling for her even harder.

Clay gave Nathan a sympathetic smile, "I really wish there was something I could do, but unfortunately, there isn't. I hate seeing you like this, but just know that everything happens for a reason."

"Do you think I should tell her how I feel?" Nathan questioned as his leg began to jump as quickly as his heart was beating.

"No, you know that'll just make things messy. Sometimes you just have to let it be even if you don't like it. She's happy with that guy, and you don't want to mess that up no matter how much you like her…"

Nathan nodded as he dragged his palm over his exhausted face, "I hate it when you're right."

Clay chuckled, "I'm always right." Nathan rolled his eyes, "But in all seriousness," Clay continued, "Everything happens for a reason. I know it's tough now, but it'll get better. I promise."

Nathan exhaled deeply, "Yeah, I know. Thanks, Clay."

"You're welcome, now stop thinking about it." He advised with his cheshire grin.

"Thinking about what?" Nathan played dumb.

"It's written all over your face. You can't stop picturing Haley with her boyfriend-"

"And that's exactly why I need my eyes bleached!" Nathan grumbled. "I hate that guy, he's a dweeb, I really don't know what she sees in him…"

"Jealous much?" Clay asked with a laugh.

"More than you know." Nathan grumbled.

"Sorry, Nate. Just try to forget what you saw."

Nathan looked down at his hands, "Why does it hurt so damn much?"

"I wish I knew, man."

Before Nathan was able to respond, a brief knock interrupted their conversation.

"Mr. Scott, you're due on stage in two minutes." A stage crew member instructed.

"Alright, thanks." Nathan smiled before turning back to Clay and cleared his throat.

"Go get 'em, dude." Clay gave Nathan a quick pat on the back and nudged him out the door.

"Thanks Clay." Nathan smiled, then proceeded over to the backstage entrance where Haley was currently waiting, and unfortunately Wyatt was there with his arms around her, no surprise there.

"I'll see you later, sweetie. Good luck!" Nathan heard Wyatt whisper into Haley's ear before she laughed and pressed a kiss against his lips, once again making Nathan want to vomit all over their existence.

Haley watched as Wyatt wandered further backstage to where the rest of the crew would be watching the show, but then turned toward Nathan who seemed to be in distress about something.

"Hey, are you okay?" She asked gently.

Nathan's gaze followed from the floor to Haley's face and sighed. She really was beautiful.

"I'm fine." Nathan lied.

Haley's eyebrow curved on her forehead, "You're not as good of an actor as everyone thinks." She smiled, "C'mon, something's bothering you. What is it?"

Nathan looked into her deep brown eyes for longer than considered normal. What was he supposed to say?

'_Oh, you know, I just think I'm falling in love with you, but you're already in love with someone else...'_

Yeah, not happening.

"You looks tense, and like you're upset about something." Haley further pointed out, "I need my partner in crime to be okay."

Nathan cracked a shadowed grin, "I'm fine, I just get a little nervous about interviews sometimes."

Haley smirked, "Nathan Scott gets nervous? Who would've thought?"

"Yeah, I know. I'm human after all." Nathan smirked.

"Well there's nothing to be nervous about. I'll be by your side the entire time."

Nathan mirrored Haley's smile, as they heard their named get called by Ellen.

"Let's do this." Haley said confidently as she linked her arm through Nathan's and together they walked across the stage to greet Ellen while the fans cheered from the audience.

Ellen, too, stood up and greeted the pair with giant hugs. "Give it up for Nathan Scott and Haley James!" The bubbly blonde called out excitedly, further fueling the crowd.

"It's so great to be here." Haley gushed.

Nathan nodded with agreement, "Yeah, thanks so much for having us."

"Thanks for being here!" Ellen beamed as she took a seat in her leather chair across from Nathan and Haley who seated themselves on a small couch. "How are you guys?"

"Pretty great." Haley smiled, taking in the enthusiastic crowd.

"Yeah, I'm good." Nathan smirked, a few teen girls in the front screamed shrilly, causing Ellen to laugh.

"Wow, Nathan, you're quite the ladies man, aren't you?"

Nathan shrugged softly despite the cocky grin plastered on his face.

"He definitely is." Haley spoke for him, laughing as the screams only intensified. "I mean, I don't really know why…"

Nathan laughed as he playfully glared at his co-star.

"Kidding." Haley grinned, turning to face him. "He's such a charmer."

Ellen grinned, "Oh yeah? Then why are you still single, Scott?" She joked causing Haley to burst with laughter as some of the audience let out a chorus of "oooh's."

Nathan chuckled as he crossed his arms over his chest, "I thought I liked you, Ellen."

"Hey, I'm just stating the facts. Isn't it true that you were named People Magazine's 'Most Eligible Bachelor' this year?" Ellen retorted as an image of a shirtless Nathan popped up on the large screen above them, the females in the crowd screamed wildly.

Nathan grinned as he nervously ran his hand over his bare neck, "I mean, yeah, I guess that's pretty cool."

Ellen clapped her hands together, "I'd say! I'm just confused as to why you're still single!"

Haley laughed beside Nathan as she gave him a questioning smile, "That's a good question, Ellen."

"Uh, I don't know-" Nathan chuckled to cover his nerves.

"I'm sure a lot of fans in the audience would date you." Ellen smirked, inciting another screaming riot. "That is, if you actually are single…"

Nathan was prepared for this; he knew Ellen had a knack for trying to get celebrities to spill about their love lives. "I'm single." He confirmed, almost becoming deaf after the shrill screams which echoed in his ears.

"I have to say, I'm surprised you haven't been in the media lately. Usually you're seen with a different model each week. What's up with that?" Ellen questioned seriously.

"I've just been busy with the movie, y'know? I haven't really had time to date, and recently I've realized that I'm no longer interested in hooking up with random girls." Nathan explained tentatively. "I guess I've grown up a bit. I'd like to one day find the right girl and settle down."

Ellen, as well as Haley, seemed shocked at his revelation. "Really? That's great!" Ellen beamed, "Do you have any idea of who the right girl might be?" She instigated.

Nathan laughed softly, "Uh, I mean I have a good idea of who I want it to be." He shrugged, "Everything happens for a reason though, so we'll see what happens."

"When did you become so insightful?" Haley laughed.

"I know, I feel like he's not even Nathan Scott. What did you do to him?" Ellen accused teasingly, turning towards Haley.

Haley giggled, "I don't know, but I'll be the first to tell you that he's come a long way since we started filming."

"What do you mean?"

Haley's teeth sunk into her lower lip as she smiled up at Nathan, "Well, I'm sure you've heard the rumors that Nathan and I didn't exactly start off on the right foot…"

"Yeah, she hated me." Nathan added with a teasing glint sparkling in his eyes, "That was definitely a first for me."

Haley laughed as she rolled her eyes, "Nathan was cocky and I called him out on it-"

Nathan puffed his cheeks out and nodded, "Yep, she was so mean to me-"  
>"I was not!" Haley defended.<p>

"You so were." Nathan smirked.

"Well you were mean to me too!" Haley retorted feeling a bit like a child again.

Nathan laughed as he stretched his arm up and wrapped it around her shoulders, pulling her in for a side hug. "Well I'm just happy that we're friends now."

Haley smiled, "Yeah, Nathan and I have gotten really close since then."

Ellen beamed, "I'm glad to hear that, which brings me to my next question. You guys obviously play 'lovers' in the movie, and from what I've seen, you have amazing chemistry. How did that happen?"

"You mean, like, how do I have such good chemistry with Haley?" Nathan asked for clarification, and Ellen nodded.

"That's a good question, I don't really know to be honest. Before we landed the roles, our director had to run a chemistry screening between us, and that's when we didn't like each other, but the writers gave us something really great to work with, so it just came naturally, I guess." Nathan explained. "It helps that Haley's hot."

"Nathan!" Haley shrieked, feeling her cheeks blush profusely.

Nathan cracked another smirk, "It's true. Obviously to get good chemistry we have to be attracted to each other, like if I wasn't attracted to you, it would make my job harder."

Ellen watched their playful banter with a jubilant smile. "So Haley, do you find Nathan attractive?"

She was sure her cheeks were emitting more heat than the sun itself. "Uh, well, I'm not blind, so yeah, Nathan's handsome." Haley revealed shyly.

"You guys are literally adorable." Ellen gushed. "You're not like secretly dating or anything are you? Because I don't think I'll be able to handle the cuteness-"

"No!" Haley immediately interjected. "No, definitely not."

Nathan tried to cover his hurt by plastering a fake smile on his lips.

"Nathan is a great friend, and I love working with him, but I'm still dating my boyfriend Wyatt of two years. He's actually here right now-"

A chorus of 'aw's' erupted through the crowd, but Nathan secretly smiled when he noticed a few girls up front frown. They were holding a poster that said 'We love Naley,' which Nathan concluded that they wanted him and Haley to be in a relationship…

He sighed at the thought, because he wished that exact same thing.

"Oh, that's right!" Nathan heard Ellen speak. "Is there any possibility of an engagement down the line?"

Nathan was in the middle of gulping a water bottle, and almost began choking when he listened to the question.

Haley shifted nervously and smiled, "Um, I don't know. I guess we'll see what happens…"

Ellen mirrored Haley's smile, "I'm happy for you, then! But I have another question, which I've always been curious about actors in general. How do you not fall for each other when you have to kiss and act all in love?"

Nathan suddenly grew extremely uncomfortable, and decided to let Haley answer this question.

"Well, you just have to be able to distinguish fiction from reality. It's easy to get caught up in the moment, but you have to know that it's a job, and nothing is real."

"Yeah," Nathan agreed, "It's easy to get caught up in the moment but you have to remind yourself that you're acting. I know I have to do that sometimes." He revealed quietly.

"Isn't it ever awkward? Especially during the bedroom scenes?" Ellen questioned.

"No, not really." Haley answered, "Nathan and I have fun with it."

"Yeah, and you know like we make out and whatever, with like twenty people watching with a camera." Nathan joked. "So that eases the awkwardness."

"Really? I would think with the cameras it would make it awkward." Ellen pointed out.

"When we're in the middle of the scene, we block out the crew but it's good once the scene ends because you quickly get back to reality and they're always joking around trying to ease any tension."

"Gotcha'." Ellen tilted her head back with understanding. "So in general, how is the movie going? I haven't really asked you anything about it."

Nathan smiled, "It's fun, I love it. It's different than what I'm used to, but so far it's one of my favorite projects. Like Haley said, we have a good time, and it's easy."

"Have you noticed yourself change throughout filming?" Ellen referred back to when Haley said Nathan had come a long way since the beginning.

Nathan remained quiet for a moment before answering, "Um, yeah, in some ways. I know that if I wanted to work on this movie, I'd have to readjust my attitude. I really wanted to play the role of Jimmy, and I didn't want to jeopardize anything. I felt like I owed it to not only Haley, but also Mike. He worked hard on this movie, and I didn't want to let him down."

Ellen smiled with appreciation, "Okay, so then if you two didn't like each other, what changed?"

Haley looked up into Nathan's sparkling blue eyes and smiled, "Nathan was the first to apologize for his behavior, and he wanted to start over. I didn't believe him at first, but I knew that if we were going to be working together, we'd have to try and get along. So after actually getting to know the real Nathan Scott, I found that he was actually a really amazing guy." She gushed, watching as Nathan gave her a genuine smile. "There's really no one else I'd rather work with. He's so kind and caring, and I feel bad for giving him an attitude when we met."

Nathan attempted to hide his blush, but the efforts were futile. He loved hearing Haley compliment him in front of everyone.

"I deserved it, though." Nathan sighed, "I was a jerk, but Haley gave me a reality check and I'd like to believe I'm a better person now because of her. It's truly an honor to work alongside her, and I'm going to really miss her when the movie ends, but I would definitely work with her in the future. She's now one of my favorite co-worker's." He winked discreetly, and Haley's smile beamed brightly.

Ellen seemed to approve their answers and grabbed a few flashcards on the table next to her in order to begin the next segment. "Alright, great, so I know y'all aren't together, but a lot of fans have been obsessing over the two of you getting together, or just your friendship in general. Seriously, have you been on twitter lately? It's crazy! The movie hasn't even been released yet and fans are going crazy."

Nathan ran his hands over his jaw and laughed, "Yeah, I know, but I mean, hey, Haley and I are cute so…"

Haley giggled as she playfully punched him in the bicep. "Honestly, I've been blown away by the reaction! I didn't even know that pictures had surfaced, and then like a day later, people were already fans. I'm flattered, but I guess it took us by surprise, because none of us had expected that to happen."

"Yeah, it's pretty cool how we have a fan base just from a few pictures. I just hope everyone likes the movie." Nathan laughed.

Ellen chuckled as well before pointing the the screen above her where a clip of Nathan and Haley's movie was about start playing.

"That's a good point, Nathan, and as a matter of fact, we have a small clip of the movie that we want to play for everyone."

"Awesome." Haley gushed, "I haven't seen any clips yet."

"Yeah, neither have I." Nathan added.

"Do you guys wanna see it?" Ellen asked the audience and was once again met with deafening screams.

"Alright, I guess we have our answer then." Ellen chuckled as she hit play and started the clip.

* * *

><p><em>Jimmy- Nathan's character- knocked loudly on a red front door, as Emma was seen sprinting down the stairs to greet him.<em>

"_Jimmy!" She squealed excitedly as she threw herself into his arms and he leaned down to pick her up in his arms._

"_Hey squirt, what's up?"_

"_Nuthin'. Just playing." She answered with her dimpled smile._

"_Emma Rose Camara. How many times do I have to tell you not to open the door without me?" Beth lectured as she strolled into the living room with her hands on her hips._

"_But it's Jimmy, mama." The curly haired brunette pouted._

_Beth hid her smile and continued to scold her daughter, "You're lucky it was him."_

"_Sorry, Beth…"_

"_It's okay, I'm glad you're here." She smiled as she stood on her tip toes and leaned in for a brief kiss. "I missed you."_

"_I missed you too. How was your day?"_

"_It's been good." Beth beamed, "How was yours?"_

"_It just got better." Jimmy grinned as he pressed a kiss on both Beth and Emma's foreheads. "I love seeing my two favorite girls everyday."_

"_Am I your favorite girl?" Emma squealed._

"_You know it." Jimmy smiled as he twirled her in his arms, and smiled down at Beth before kissing her one last time. _

"_What about me?" Beth asked, batting her long brown eyelashes._

"_Especially you." Jimmy promised. _

_Beth smiled before she bit gently on her lip, "Good, because I have to tell you something…" _

_And with that, the camera faded to black._

* * *

><p>The audience immediately stood up from their seats and cheered excitedly.<p>

"I guess they liked it." Ellen laughed as Nathan and Haley shared a brief smile.

"I want to find out what Beth told Jimmy!"

"You'll have to see the movie, then." Nathan smirked.

"Oh believe me, I will be at the premiere!" Ellen gushed. "And let me just say that the actress who plays Emma is absolutely adorable! I mean like, I just wanna eat her!"

Haley laughed, "I know, right? She's so cute, and I swear she's a better actress than me and she's five!"

"Yeah, she's great, I'm really proud of her." Nathan added with a smile. "She's been fun to work with. She definitely adds a lot of character to the set."

"Definitely." Haley agreed, "Nathan's so good with her too, it's really cute to watch."

"Hmm, I should have invited her to the show." Ellen contemplated.

"Yeah she could have replaced Haley." Nathan teased, eliciting a light scoff from the actress beside him.

"Hey!" Haley pouted.

"Kidding." Nathan grinned, gently nudging Haley's shoulder.

Ellen watched with a grin, before she glanced at her watch and sighed, "Unfortunately we're out of time, but I'd love it if you could come back some time once the movie is released so we can talk a bit more about it." Ellen suggested as she stood up for their goodbyes.

"Yeah, that sounds good." Nathan smiled as he leaned in for a quick hug, "Thanks for having us."

"Yeah, it was so great to finally meet you." Haley gushed, "I had fun, thank you!"

"Thanks for coming, I'm glad we got to chat! Good luck with the rest of the film, and I hope to see y'all around." Ellen called out over the cheers as Nathan and Haley shared a quick hug before leaving the stage.

"See? That wasn't so bad, was it?" Haley giggled once she and Nathan were behind stage.

"I couldn't have done it without you, Hales." Nathan declared seriously as he stared into her warm brown eyes.

* * *

><p>"Mike, can we talk?" Wyatt asked as he approached the director while running a hand through his curly blonde hair.<p>

"Sure, Wyatt, what can I do for you, man?"

Wyatt crossed his arms defiantly over his chest when he noticed Haley and Nathan share a hug in the corner of his eye.

"It's about Nathan and Haley…" He grit through his tightened jaw. "I really don't think they should have as many kissing scenes."

Mike seemed caught off guard by Wyatt's demand, "Look, I'm sorry, I know it's hard seeing Haley kissing someone but it's her job and I promise they're not fooling around-"

"I don't care." Wyatt huffed, "I don't want his hands all over my girlfriend."

"I think you should talk to Haley and Nathan about this…" Mike advised with a shaky smile. "There's really nothing I can do, sorry."

Wyatt's fist curled tightly beside his waist, "Fine, I'll talk to them myself, but don't be surprised if Haley quits." He threatened coldly, and swiftly turned on his heel setting out for vengeance.

* * *

><p><strong>Drama is only beginning :) <strong>

**Thanks for reading, and for all your wonderful support. I think there's only about 7 more chapters left, and then I may or may not start another quick story. We'll see what happens :) If you're interested in what the next one will be about, feel free to shoot me a PM. I love hearing from you! **

**See you soon xo **


	9. Chapter 9

"Why do you have to go to the set so late?" Wyatt interrogated, watching as Haley prepared a small bag consisting of an outfit change and other small necessities.

Glancing at the clock, Haley muttered a small curse under her breath. She was already late when Wyatt dropped by unannounced, but she didn't have the heart to tell him she had a scene to film.

Mike had scheduled a last minute scene, but in order for it to make the cut, it meant Nathan and Haley were due to film through the night. It was bordering midnight now, and Haley needed to get to the set as soon as possible.

"The scene takes place at night, and it has to be filmed outside, so we had to do it now." Haley explained, glancing at her tired reflection through the mirror.

Wyatt watched and rolled his eyes, "Do you have to go? I just got home-"

Not in the mood to fight, an exhausted breath collapsed from Haley's lips. "Wyatt, I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Why can't I go to the set with you?" He proposed, standing from the bed and walking over to Haley before pressing a long kiss below her ear.

"It's late…" She protested weakly, hating how she secretly couldn't wait until Nathan's lips were on hers.

Oh God, what has she become?

"Haley, I miss you." Wyatt breathed against her silky skin.

The squeezing in her stomach tightened almost instantly and the guilt flushed feverishly through her veins.

Before she had the chance to speak, her cell phone rang shrilly through the silent atmosphere.

"Mhm, can you get that for me please?" Haley whispered, attempting to regain a sense of composure.

"Ignore it." Wyatt advised throatily when Haley desperately tried to flee his tight grasp.

"Please." She squeaked before she approached the bathroom and continued to fix herself.

Wyatt walked over to her phone, but didn't make it in time to pick up the call. Instead, it beeped, signaling that she had a new voicemail. His thumb clicked on it, then brought the speaker up to his ear, listening to the voicemail.

"_Hey Hales, I hope everything's okay. You were supposed to be on set twenty minutes ago. Uh, I'm getting a little worried. Call me back, or I'm coming to find you. Alright, bye."_

It was Nathan.

Wyatt grimaced at his husky tone. His hatred for the guy only grew.

Right as he was about to place the phone in Haley's bag, his eyes widened when he accidently clicked on her call history. Curiosity got the best of him, and he decided to scroll through it, only making him sick in the process.

It showed that she and Nathan had exchanged calls at least twice a day. Clenching his jaw rhythmically, Wyatt was just about to punch a hole through the wall.

The screen then lit up with a text, from none other than, Nathan freakin' Scott himself. Wyatt immediately tapped on the message, and read it with a heavy scowl igniting his features.

"_I really hope you're on your way to the set. I'm worried sick about you, Haley James. You better not be avoiding the rain kiss, 'cause you know you can't hide from me ;)"_

Wyatt knew Haley was probably oblvious to Nathan's feelings, but he sure as hell wasn't. He could see it the day they were on Ellen. Nathan wanted Haley, and Wyatt was not going to let that happen.

To make matters worse, he decided to read the rest of the messages interchanged between the two, and it was obvious that they had exchanged flirtatious texts on numerous occasions.

_**Nathan: **__Hey, great job today! _

_**Haley:**_ _Ah! Thanks you too :) Sorry I kept messing up my lines._

_**Nathan:**_ _It's no problem, it happens to the best of us._

_**Haley**__: Lol, it's been a rough day._

_**Nathan**__: Everything okay?_

_**Haley:**_ _Yeah, just didn't get much sleep last night. I'm so tired._

_**Nathan:**_ _That's why you should learn to like coffee ;)_

_**Haley:**_ _Haha, no way! Coffee is gross._

_**Nathan:**_ _I know, you've only told me about a million times. Lol._

_**Haley:**_ _Oh, you're just soo funny aren't you?_

_**Nathan:**_ _Don't you forget it! _

"Hey, who called?" Haley asked, re-entering her bedroom to find Wyatt scrolling through her phone.

"Your boyfriend, apparently." Wyatt spatt.

Haley's eyebrows furrowed, "What?" She simply laughed in response.

Wyatt's lips crinkled into a tight line. "Nathan's worried about you." He spoke tersely before practically throwing the phone at her.

"I'm late, Wyatt." Haley answered in the same shaky tone. "I really can't deal with your jealousy right now-"

Wyatt jumped to his feet, staggering over Haley's short stature. "No, Haley! We're going to talk about this, now. You've been avoiding it forever!"

"There's nothing to talk about!" Haley's voice grew in decibels.

Wyatt rolled his eyes, "That's bullshit, and you know it!"

"What the hell do you want me to say? We work together, and we're friends! I don't understand why you can't accept that!" Haley argued, angrily gathering her belongings, and turned her back towards her boyfriend.

Wyatt exhaled sharply, "I don't want you working with him anymore."  
>Haley's eyes snapped closed, ceasing her movements before she whipped her neck in a sharp turn. "What did you just say?" Her words laced with viciousity.<p>

Crossing his arms defiantly over his chest, Wyatt tensed. "You heard me."

Haley ran a hand through her chestnut colored locks, "I'm not quitting the movie, Wyatt. Besides, it's almost over."

"I'm not asking you to quit the movie. I'm saying that after it ends, I don't want you around Nathan-"

"You can't tell me what to do!" Haley shrieked, resembling that of a child.

Wyatt's breath became ragged, "I heard a producer talking with Mike about you and Nathan. After you finish filming the movie, he wants to cast you together in a show. I don't want you accepting it."

Haley laughed bitterly, "Who do you think you are?"

"I'm your boyfriend, dammit! I want you working with Nathan! What happened to you hating him, huh? You know he's playing you just so you'll fall for him!"

"You're ridiculous! He's been nothing but a complete gentleman." Haley fought, throwing her bag over her shoulder and walking towards the door. "Unlike you!"

"Haley-" Wyatt shouted in protest.

Haley's eyes narrowed to horizontal slits; fire burning furiously. "No!" Her finger jabbed into his taut chest, "I'm done with this conversation!"

"You like him, don't you?" His voice was nothing but accusatory.

Haley's hand twisted tightly on the door knob as a silent tear trickled down her cheek, "I have to go."

"Haley, dammit!" Wyatt called out after her, watching as she climbed into her car and once again sped down the street, leaving him to slam his fist against the pavement.

* * *

><p>"God, where the hell could she be?" Nathan paced nervously as he raked his fingers through his raven black hair.<p>

"You like her." Mike said knowingly, ceasing Nathan's movements. A low chuckle fell from his lips, "I knew it, Nate. It was only a matter of time. I've been in this business for far too long. It's impossible for actors to fight their feelings."

Nathan gave Mike a sad smile, "It doesn't matter. She's in love with someone else." His head hung lowly and Mike pat him on the back.

"You really think she's meant to be with that Wyatt guy?" Mike questioned with arched eyebrows, and a lopsided smile.

Nathan furrowed his brows, "What do you mean?"

"I mean, do you really think she's happy with him?"

Squeezing his eyes shut, Nathan couldn't ignore the throbbing pain in his heart. "Yes."

Hearing another chuckle from Mike, his eyes snapped open, and grew even more confused.

"Haley's a bit conflicted right now. She just needs someone to steer her in the right direction-"

"But…"

Nathan was cut off when he heard a familiar voice speak frantically behind him.

"Oh my God, guys, I'm so sorry that I'm late-!" Haley excused, running over to where the crew was patiently awaiting for her arrival.

"Haley! Are you alright? What happened? I was worried sick about you!" She watched as Nathan spun around, his blue eyes reflected nothing but fear, then ran over to her and enveloped her in a tight hug.

Sinking contently into his arms, Haley sighed, "I'm fine, I just… it's nothing. I'm sorry I'm late."

Nathan's eyes fell over her form in a doubtful gaze. "Are you sure?"

Haley faked a smile, "Y-yeah."

He knew she was lying, but considering she had arrived in one piece, he wasn't going to press the issue… for now.

"Alright, we need to get started right away." Mike announced. "We have a lot to do, and not a lot of time. Places everyone!"

A stage director led Nathan over to the front steps of a house, and told him what he had to do while Haley quickly changed into wardrobe while someone simultaneously fixed her makeup.

"We have to get this right the first time, because we're working with the rain machines and we don't have time to dry you guys off in between takes. If you mess up, just add your own lines. Make it as realistic as possible, okay?" Mike advised while looking directly at Nathan, discreetly throwing in a quick wink.

Haley nodded obediently as Nathan reassuringly squeezed her shoulder, and looked down at her with a warm smile. Her heart fluttered uncontrollably through her chest. Why was she acting like this? Hell, who was she kidding? She always acted like this around Nathan. Somewhere along the lines, her mind blurred fact from fiction, and now she didn't know how the hell to feel.

"You sure you're okay?" Nathan whispered again before they were due in their places.

"Yeah." She muttered weakly, attempting to look away from his soulful blue eyes.

"Okay." Nathan grinned, "You ready to get soaked?"

Haley giggled softly, "At least I won't be the only one."

"That's right. I'm your partner in crime." Nathan spoke proudly. "Let's do this."

Less than a minute later, Nathan and Haley had taken their places and the cameras began to roll. When Mike called action, both actors stomachs began to flutter with nervous anticipation.

_Nathan was seen nervously pacing back and forth on the sidewalk, anxiously waiting for Haley's character to come back home._

_The camera panned in on her walking up the path and gasped when she noticed him._

"_Jimmy, what are you doing here?" Haley stuttered._

_Nathan instantly ran over to her, gulping down a fearful breath. "I- I have to tell you something."_

_Haley bit gently down on her lower lip and looked longingly into Nathan's darkening blue eyes. "What is it?"_

_Above them, the sky rumbled with thunder, and Nathan's breath quivered on his lips._

_When he didn't speak, Haley made a move to get indoors, but His gentle grasp on her wrist prevented her from moving._

"_I just… I don't know how to tell you this."_

_Her smile gently curved downwards, "What's going on?"_

_A drop of rain dripped down from the sky and rolled down Nathan's jacket. Ignoring the weather, he reached out and cupped Haley's cheek, smiling softly as his eyes bore into hers. Here goes nothing, he thought inwardly._

_This would probably be his only chance to tell Haley these three words, and though she would think it would be part of the script, it meant so much more to him._

_After taking one deep breath, Nathan couldn't suppress the smile which grew on his lips, "I love you."_

_The raindrops were now falling freely from the sky, and Haley knew the goosebumps on her skin weren't from the water. A chill crawled up her spine, as her mind began playing another trick on her. It's like the entire crew disappeared, and it was just her and Nathan. _

"_I love you, too." She breathed watching as Nathan's grin nearly exploded._

_She jumped into his arms as he spun her around excitedly. She giggled girlishly, having forgotten her fight with Wyatt nearly an hour ago. It was just her, and Nathan in their own little world. Yet, her real world was about to crash down, when she realized that she could no longer fight her feelings for Nathan Scott._

_Nathan could not control himself. He knew this might be the last time ever kissing Haley, and his heart almost cried at the thought._

_He loved the way her legs wrapped around his lower torso, and his arms wrapped securely under her waist, holding her up as her hands ran over his damp back. He smiled against her lips and kissed her passionately._

_He didn't care if she was dating Wyatt. This was their movie, and Mike suggested to make it as real as possible, so he couldn't help himself when his tongue slid gently past her lips._

_He could tell she was surprised at first, never having used tongue before, but he was equally as shocked when her tongue rolled over his. _

_Nathan had never felt better than in that moment. He was standing on the sun, and nothing could dim the light. _

_Until Mike called cut. _

"Okay, guys! You can stop kissing now." Mike announced as the rain stopped instantly, and the crew laughed when the couple continued to kiss despite Mike calling cut.

Haley literally had to pry her lips from Nathan's, and she embarrassingly slid off of him and ran a ran through her soaking wet hair.

Before Nathan even had a chance to apologize for getting carried away, Haley had taken off in a sprint to her trailer, and he chased after her.

* * *

><p>"Hales! Please open up! I'm sorry-" Nathan banged his fist against her trailer door, and sighed when his efforts were futile.<p>

Less than thirty seconds later, the door swung open revealing a red eyed, Haley James.

Nathan's heart clenched at the sight, and didn't even think as he pulled her into his arms. "God, Hales, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to get carried away like that… Please don't be mad at me." He begged and watched as Haley shook her head in his arms before pulling away and smiled through her tears.

"That's not it." She sniffled.

"Then what's wrong?" Nathan whispered as he gently pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"Wyatt and I… we got into a fight…" She cried harder, choking down a sob.

Nathan sighed as he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, "I'm so sorry, Hales. Do you wanna talk about it?"

Haley shook her head and wiped away her tears, "No, i- it's stupid…"

"It's not stupid if it's making you upset." Nathan spoke softly.

Haley gave him a small smile, "He's just mad that we're working together…"

"Oh." Nathan cleared his throat, "Um, why?"

"He thinks you like me." Haley mumbled under her breath, as Nathan's heart nearly stopped beating. "And he thinks I like you."

His throat dried, not being able to produce a coherent sentence.

"Nathan?" Haley questioned quietly, beginning to fear the worst, "What's wrong?"

Nathan fiddled with his fingertips and glanced down at his shoes. "He's right." His voice broke, and Haley almost choked on air.

"I don't want to make things awkward between us, and I don't want to break you and Wyatt up, but I just… I had to tell you." Nathan breathed as his eyes collided with Haley's. "I'm scared as hell because I-I think I'm falling in love with you, Haley James."

* * *

><p><strong>Don't hate me for the cliff hanger! <strong>

**I had this story pre-planned but I decided to tweak a few things so I hope it ends up working better. Let me know what you guys thought! I love reading your comments, they make my day :) **


	10. Chapter 10

"Wh-what?" Haley stuttered in time with the heavy rhythm of her heart. She could have sworn Nathan just told her he was falling in love with her… but it couldn't be… could it?

She watched as a tentative smile tugged at Nathan's lips.

"I love you, Haley." He said louder this time; the words echoed through her already ringing ears. "I didn't plan on it to happen, but it did, and I can't stop the way I feel about you. Even if I could, I wouldn't want to-"

"Nathan…" Haley breathed, halting his words. "I- I don't know what to say…" She shook her head willing herself not to cry. Sure she had fallen hard for him, but she was confused as hell.

She couldn't just drop Wyatt- no matter how much she wanted to- because they had a past, and things with Nathan were so uncertain.

She was faced with a choice, and in the end, someone was going to get heartbroken.

"Say you love me." Nathan pleaded, his eyes bore longingly into hers.

A stray tear trickled slowly down Haley's pink cheek, "I… I can't…"

Nathan's shoulders visibly slumped, "It's Wyatt, isn't it?"

Haley couldn't bring herself to speak.

"You don't belong with him, Haley." Nathan's nearly choked on his words, "Stop fighting it. You know you want to be with me, even if you can't admit it."

Her breath caught in her throat by the conviction of his words, she could barely breathe. "I-I'm sorry, I- I have to go." The words died on her lips as she began to run down the steps of her trailer, unable to look back when Nathan called out after her.

She just hoped he'd understand her decision.

* * *

><p>"So, today's your last day filming. How do you feel about that?" Clay asked into the phone as Nathan inwardly groaned, rolling over on the couch he was sprawled out on.<p>

"Whatever." He mumbled after taking another swig of his bitter beer.

"Dude, what's been up your ass lately? You've been so weird."

A small sigh escaped his lips, "Nothing man, forget it."

"Are you sure? Because Mike said you've called in sick, two days in a row. You can't keep putting it off, the movie has a budget."  
>"I know, Clay." Nathan guzzled drops of the tangy beer. "I'll finish today, then I'm done."<p>

"Are you going to miss Haley?" Clay snickered, causing Nathan's heart to race at the mere mention of her name.

The truth was, that he was miserable. He couldn't even show up to set in fear of seeing Haley again. His heart had shattered when she left him after he wore his heart on his sleeve and poured his feelings out. Never had he been so vulnerable in his life, and now he understood why. Rejection was the worst pain any human could feel. His heart was drowning in torture. Every time he thought of her- which felt like every second- the excruciation practically tripled.

It was probably karma, Nathan figured. His whole life he had treated women like crap, never thinking twice about them, but for once, Nathan had never wanted anyone as much as he had wanted Haley, and now he couldn't have her.

The thought alone had made his intestines twist with bile.

"Yeah." Nathan finally whispered. He was going to miss her. Once the movie was over, he knew it would all end, which was part of the reason he dreaded today- the last day of filming.

Granted, he knew nothing would ever be the same between him and Haley, but still, once Mike would call cut, reality of the situation would settle, and he'd be forced to face the fact that it was all over, and Haley would never be his. At least during filming, he could pretend in some fiction state that he and Haley were together. Now he'd never be able to hold her or kiss her ever again.

* * *

><p>"Nathan, can we talk?" Haley found herself practically running after Nathan who had finally arrived on set.<p>

Keeping his back facing towards her, Nathan filled his lungs with oxygen in a deep breath.

"Not now, Haley."

"Please…" Her voice shook quietly.

Nathan finally turned towards her, nearly choking on air at her beautiful brown eyes.

"Look, it's hard enough to have to get through this scene with you today, let alone talk to you. I just… I can't do this right now."

Haley nodded dejectedly, "Okay, I… I understand."

"Is everyone ready?" Mike called out, unknowingly interrupting the tension between the two actors.

"Ready as I'll ever be…" Haley heard Nathan mutter as he prepared himself for the final scene of the movie.

"Okay, places then!" Mike shouted again, only to be cut off when Haley spoke up.

"Wait, I um… I have something to say before we start." The crew turned their eyes towards the actress as she cleared her throat. "I just want everyone to know how lucky I am to have been a part of this movie. I know it wasn't always easy, but I've had the best time of my life." Her eyes locked on Nathan's, and continued speaking. "I'm honored to have gotten the opportunity to work with all of you, and I won't ever forget it. I consider you all family, and I love you all." Her voice cracked slightly when her eyes blurred with tears. "I'm so sad that filming is ending, but at the same time, I'm so very thankful to have gotten this chance. I'm going to miss everyone so much…" The words died on her lips and everyone began clapping- some of the crew members were also crying.

Nathan desperately tried not to let her words affect him, and remained stone like. He was so tuned out that his brain barely even registered Mike's speech. He only came back to reality when Mike tapped him on the shoulder.

"Are you ready to start?"

"Uh y-yeah." Nathan spoke then glanced over at Haley who was sitting in the make-up chair while someone re did her make up after it got ruined from her crying.

His eyes then gazed downwards at the pulling on his leg. Sophie was looking up at him with an eager smile.

"Hey Soph." His eyes brightened at the little girl, then reached down to lift her in his arms. "You know I'm going to miss you, right?"

"I'm gonna miss you too." She said sadly, Nathan's heart melted in the process. "Are you going to miss Haley, too?"

Nathan smiled sadly, "Yeah, I am."

"Can I tell you a secret?" Sophia whispered, as Nathan simply nodded. "I think she has a crush on you!"

Nathan chuckled, "You think so?"

"Mhmm! One time I heard her talking on the phone and she said that she thinks your cute!"  
>Nathan laughed again, "Well don't tell her this, but I think she's cute too!"<br>He watched as her eyes widened, sparkling with excitement. "I think you should get married. Can I be the flower girl?"

"I'll tell you what, if I ever get married, you can definitely be the flower girl, okay?"

Sophia's smile widened impeccably. "Okay! You promise?"

"Promise." Nathan swore.

"Yay! You're the bestest!" She squealed giddily.

Haley watched Nathan interact with Sophie and couldn't help the smile on her lips. The sight was too cute for words.

"Hey Soph." She greeted happily. "What's up?"

"Nothin', Nathan just said I could be the flower girl when he gets married."  
>Haley giggled, "Well aren't you a lucky girl?"<p>

Before anyone was able to reply, Mike (thankfully) called out one last time that they were starting any second.

Nathan immediately placed Sophia down and walked over to the cafe set where Haley's character worked. Sophia was seated on top of the counter and Nathan placed the prop in his jacket pocket. The set designers had sprinkled rose petals around the cafe and lit various candles. The sign on the door had said Closed, and Nathan and Sophia were the only two people there, patiently awaiting Haley's character, Beth's, arrival.

Nathan took a quick breath as he emotionally prepared himself for the scene. His character was going to propose to Haley's character which meant a kiss was going to take place.

"Alright everyone, scene 423, the final scene. Take One. Lights, camera, action. We're rolling." Mike called out as the cameras began to roll.

"Okay, Em, your mommy's coming. Are you ready?" Nathan turned to Sophia and began to pace nervously around the hardwood floor.

"Yup! I can't wait for you to marry mommy!" She exclaimed excitedly.

"I hope she says yes." He mumbled, only to stop dead in his tracks when the bell to the cafe rang, signaling that 'Beth' had arrived.

"Jimmy, Emma, what is all this?" She asked breathlessly, processing the romantic ambiance surrounding the cafe.

"Happy Valentine's day." Sophia screamed, hoping down from the counter and running towards Haley who enveloped her in welcoming arms.

"Thank you sweetie. This looks beautiful."

Nathan smiled nervously, "You look beautiful."

"Thank you." She smiled while tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear. "Thank you for doing this."  
>"Well I can't take all the credit." He chuckled, "Emma helped me."<p>

"Well it's perfect. I love it, thank you."

"You're welcome." Nathan spoke softly. He tried so hard to stay in character but found himself failing. It was ironic how when he and Haley hated each other, he could still act without problems, but now that he had fallen in love with her, it was nearly impossible to stay focused.

"You cooked?" Haley asked when she noticed the table off to the corner with three trays sitting on top of the red tablecloth.

"Yeah, so you and Emma sit down, I'll be right with you." He winked before disappearing behind the kitchen then walked out less than a few seconds later holding a silver platter with a dome on top. When he walked over to Haley, he smiled fakely and held out the platter and lowered himself onto his right knee.

"Jimmy-" Haley gasped, "What're you doing?"

Nathan smirked when he took off the top of the platter which revealed a silver plate and a diamond ring rested in a small black box, sitting upright so Haley could clearly see the engagement ring.

"Oh my God…." She breathed, placing her hands over her mouth attempting not to cry.

Nathan cleared his throat and began his next line dryly, "I love you, Beth. I fell in love with you right here in this cafe…" His words died on his lips when he looked back at Haley's shiny brown eyes and felt a pang in his chest. This wasn't real. It never would be real.

"CUT!" Mike shouted, followed by a small bell. "Nathan, what happened? You don't sound like someone about to propose."

Nathan dragged a tired hand through his raven black hair, "I don't know, I'm sorry, I'm not feeling this right now-"  
>"Nathan…" Haley sighed, "C'mon, we can do this."<p>

Mike shook his head, "Take five minutes, We'll pick up where we left off."

Nathan smiled with appreciation before quickly disappearing from the madness.

* * *

><p>"Scene 423, Take 12." Mike nearly huffed. Yes, it had taken 12 attempts for Nathan to sound 'romantic enough' and get into character.<p>

And so here he was, back on his knee, about to propose to Haley's character for the 12th freaking time.

"I love you, so much. More than you'll ever know, but I want a lifetime to prove to you how strong my love is. You're the one for me, and I don't want to be with anyone else. You and Emma are my family now. So, will you marry me?" Nathan gushed, a dopey smile spread over his lips, as for a moment, the smallest moment, he felt a glimpse of hope. His brain had melted, as it tended to when he was around Haley, and forgot that this was simply an act.

"Yes." She cried excitedly, and laughed when happy tears flickered down her face.

"Yes?" Nathan repeated giddily.

"Yes!" She shouted, jumping from her seat and launching herself into his arms. "I love you so much." Haley swore, finally speaking the words she had been dying to say, even if it was just part of the movie. Only this time, her words were filled with a sense of conviction.

Her head rested on Nathan's shoulder as her eyes squeezed shut, simply reveling in the feeling. It was all surreal; this was the last scene ever with Nathan.

She found it funny how six months ago she simply couldn't wait for this day to come, and now she never wanted it to end.

"I love you, too." Nathan breathed, placing his hands on either side of Haley's cheeks and met her for a passionate kiss.

Their steamy kiss was soon interrupted when Sophia threw her arms around their legs, giggling girlishly.

Haley reluctantly pulled away from Nathan and smiled down at Sophia, lifting her in her arms.

"I told you she'd say yes!" She squealed when Nathan began peppering kisses on her forehead.

"I've never been happier, and that's because of you two girls. I love you." Nathan whispered longingly, still looking at Haley.

"We love you, too!" Sophia exposed her dimpled smile.

Haley and Nathan shared a brief laugh, only to lean over and meet in another lip lock, then pull away and hug Sophia.

"I guess it's true that happy endings really do exist." Haley gushed as the camera panned out and focused on the hugging soon to be family, then back out to the glass window where snow was falling almost magically.

"Cut! And that's a wrap." Mike announced bittersweetly, while beginning to clap loudly. "Great job, everyone. I couldn't have done this without any of you. Like Haley said, I'm so fortunate to have gotten the chance to work with all of you. I'm proud of every single one of you. Congratulations, we did it."

* * *

><p>It was now a night later and the cast and crew were gathered at Mike's house for the wrap party. Haley had tried to speak to Nathan on numerous occasions, but he simply wouldn't have it. He couldn't talk to her, it hurt too much.<p>

Yet, here he was sulking at the bar, and Haley was practically begging to get him to talk to her.

"Nathan, please, you've been ignoring me all day yesterday, and all night. Will you please just talk to me?"

"I have nothing to say to you." He muttered dryly before taking a swig of his beer.

Haley sighed tiredly, "Well, I have something to say to you, can you listen to me please?"

Nathan shrugged cooly, "Where's Wyatt? I'm sure he's not going to like you talking to me."

"He's not here." Haley spoke in a mirrored tone of Nathan's.

"I'm surprised he let you off of his leash."Nathan spat. "Or that you would even want to be away from him for more than a second. I thought for sure you'd be sucking face all night-"

Haley's eyes clenched at the cruelty of his words. "You know what? Just forget it…" Her voice quivered before she turned on her heel, practically running away from Nathan before he could notice the tears threatening to fall from her eyes.

She was seriously beginning to question her recent actions, and if they were worth it.

* * *

><p>Nathan nearly had enough of this wrap party. People kept coming up to him telling him how great he and Haley were together, and he couldn't take it because they weren't together, and they never would be.<p>

Needing a breather, he stepped out of the madness and onto one of the much quieter porches in the back of the house.

Only, when he got there, he realized he wasn't alone.

The sound of loud sobs filled the silent air, making Nathan turn to the right to find Haley sitting on the stairs with tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Haley?" He questioned immediately, "What's wrong?"

Haley stood up from her slouching stance and furiously wiped away the tears from her eyes hoping Nathan didn't see her like that.

"Um, nothing… It's nothing, I'm f-fine…" She quickly dismissed as her gaze fixed on the wooden deck flooring.

Nathan gently grabbed her wrists and noticed that she flinched slightly.

"Look, I'm sorry for what I said before. I didn't mean it." Nathan began softly.

Haley attempted to smile through her tears when Nathan reached up and gently swiped away a tear with the soft pad of his thumb.

"That's not why I'm crying…" She spoke softly.

"What is it?" Nathan pressed as he linked her fingers through his.

Haley inhaled sharply, her chest rising deeply. "I… um… Wyatt and I broke up-"

A large grin spread over Nathan's lips, "What? When?" He couldn't help but question excitedly.

Haley almost laughed at his eagerness, "The other day."

"Why? Are you okay?"

Haley nodded, biting her lower lip to hide a smile. "I'm fine, I just… I couldn't be with him anymore." She revealed with a shaky breath. "Not when I knew I was falling in love with someone else…"

Nathan's blue eyes almost exploded. "Wh-what?" He wasn't even sure he heard her correctly.

"The only reason why I was crying was because I thought that you didn't want me anymore which would be a problem, because I really, really want you." Haley revealed shyly as a flirtatious grin spread over her cherry red lips.

Nathan laughed at his luck. He had been dreaming of this moment for what seemed like forever, and now it was happening.

Nathan pulled her flush against his body while wrapping his arms securely around her lower waist, "Believe me, I want you. You have no idea how badly I do."

Haley giggled as she leaned on the tips of her toes to wrap her arms around Nathan's neck. "I love you, Nathan Scott. I'm sorry it took me so long to realize…"

"Say it again." Nathan beamed.

"I. Love. You." Haley said slowly, her smile widening after each word.

Nathan laughed freely again at the joy he felt flowing through his veins. Love was so much better when you waited for the one you're meant to be with.

Neither of them realized that rain had begun to fall as they shared their first off-screen kiss.

It was as if they had been released from jail.

Neither had held back, as they had so much in the past.

Nathan's tongue rolled effortlessly over Haley's as she let out a content moan. The rain only fell faster.

Not only had they been oblivious to the wet weather, but neither had been aware of the person snapping pictures of them making out.

* * *

><p><strong>The end!<strong>

**...**

**Ha, just kidding! We still have a few more things that need to happen before Naley could have their final happy ending :)**

**Thanks for reading! **


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